"My lord, why do you think this 'ransom money' is life-saving money instead of a 'requisition'? The sword that kills without shedding blood is the one that destroys the heart." Perhaps no one under Chen Tang's command understands the darkness of human hearts better than Gu Chi. He sneered and said, "Qiu Dalang has put aside past grudges and spent money to save people. As someone who once fought against his brothers and murdered his own brother, can Qiu Cheng accept this help?"
Qiu Dalang might really want to save his brother regardless of the past grudges, but he might also have figured out Qiu Wenyan's temperament - Qiu Cheng, who is so proud, would not accept charity from Qiu Dalang; and Qiu Cheng, who is so suspicious, would not believe that Qiu Dalang really came to save him.
The point is not what Qiu Dalang does.
The key point is Qiu Cheng’s reaction.
Qiu Cheng died, and Qiu Dalang got his revenge.
Qiu Cheng is alive, and Qiu Dalang has gained enough fame.
Shen Tang stroked the cold gold in his hand.
"If I were the old rookie, I would probably accept it with shame. At worst, I would go back and bow down to Qiu Dalang, and live a rich life in the future, at least I would not have to worry about food and clothing. However, given the old rookie's temper, it's hard to say. He would probably be panicked and angry. He would be worried that Qiu Dalang had other intentions in doing this, and he would be angry that the two brothers' situations were reversed, and he would have to rely on Qiu Dalang's charity to survive..."
"Yes, people tend to judge others by themselves." Gu Chi raised his thin lips and said sarcastically, "Because of who you are, everyone looks like the same person. Qiu Cheng is a hypocritical gentleman, so how can his brother be an honest gentleman in his eyes? My lord, are you interested in making a bet with Chi? Let's bet on what will happen to Qiu Cheng if the news of the ransom falls into his ears?"
Chen Tang now has PTSD about "gambling".
but-
Big gambling harms your health, but small gambling brings joy to your heart.
"What's the benefit of winning the bet?"
Gu Chi said: "It's up to the lord to decide."
Chen Tang immediately clapped his hands: "Okay, you said it!"
His reaction was so quick that it seemed as if he was afraid that Gu Chi would go back on his word.
The two agreed to write on their palms and show them at the same time. After seeing the result, Chen Tang said disappointedly, "Alas, the bet is over."
Because they all wrote the word death.
Chen Tang joked, "I was thinking that if I won the bet, I would let you work overtime in the government office for ten days or half a month unconditionally, and the salary for that month would belong to me. I never thought that you and I had the same answer. Wang Chao, did you write this because you listened to my thoughts?"
"No, it's just that we have a tacit understanding."
If Qiu sends the ransom money, Qiu Cheng must die.
Even if you don’t die, you will die!
Chen Tang closed the wooden box with a snap.
He called the clerk in the office and said, "Go to Tangyuan and tell Sepia Laocai... No, tell Wen Yangong that there is good news. Qiu has sent the ransom money. He is free again. I will send someone to escort him back to Qiu tomorrow."
Shen Tang read the stress on the last sentence.
"This matter is very important, and must be conveyed truthfully."
Some pots have to be taken by someone.
Chen Tang and Gu Chi exchanged glances, understanding each other tacitly.
The clerk accepted the order: "I understand."
The place where the prisoners were held was not far away.
Qiu Cheng's family, young and old, live alone in a courtyard.
The redemption money was delivered to Xiaocheng in the morning, the news was delivered to Tangyuan at noon, and Qiu Cheng committed suicide with a sword at night.
The details were exactly as Chen Tang and the others had expected.
When the clerk appeared with a happy face, Qiu Cheng and his wife were worried that Chen Tang would do something to torture them. When he sent Miao Shu's body, they could sleep for several nights. Qiu Cheng was once the leader of a faction, so he could still hold his ground.
"I wonder why the messenger came here?"
The clerk crossed his arms and saluted: "Congratulations, Lord Wen Yan."
Qiu Cheng raised his eyebrows: "Oh, where does happiness come from?"
The clerk smiled and said, "This morning, Qiu brought the money for the redemption of Wen Yangong. The lord sent me here to tell Wen Yangong about it. The lord also said that he would send someone to take you and your family scroll back to Qiu tomorrow. Wen Yangong, you will be free soon."
Unexpectedly, Qiu Cheng was not as happy as he expected.
Instead, he grabbed the clerk's sleeve and questioned him, "You said that Qiu sent the ransom money? Not someone else?"
He mentioned several surnames and families in a row.
His father-in-law is unreliable, and Qiu Shi is in the hands of his elder brother who has a grudge against him. Qiu Cheng is desperate and can only write to his former classmates for help. However, before they can help him, Qiu Shi's people arrive first, which makes Qiu Cheng have a bad feeling.
The clerk was at a loss: "It's not them, it's Qiu's."
The eldest lady pursed her red lips, looking very worried.
Qiu Cheng pressed for details: "Are there any letters?"
The clerk shook his head: "No."
Qiu Cheng pondered over the words brought by the clerk over and over again, and didn't even know when the clerk left. When he came to his senses, the sky outside was already dark, and the eldest lady was still standing by his side, her eyes full of worry: "My dear, you scared me to death."
“Ouch—”
A long sigh escaped Qiu Cheng's mouth.
His spirit collapsed visibly.
He sighed, "The eldest wife has the intention to kill me. If I fall into his hands, I'm afraid I won't be able to die in a dignified way."
The first lady was shocked and asked, "Why do you say that, Master?"
Qiu Cheng suddenly said in a stern voice: "Don't you know the boss's methods? If he hadn't used despicable methods that were not visible to the public, how could he be the one to be adopted out? Obviously, all the elders of the clan liked me, but in the end, he was the one chosen!"
At that time, the first branch of the Qiu family had no one to inherit the incense, so they had to adopt the second branch. The second branch had two children, Qiu Dalang and Qiu Erlang, also known as Qiu Cheng. They were both born to the second branch's wife and were brothers from the same mother.
When adopting someone, they usually adopt the younger one instead of snatching the eldest son. Qiu Cheng was smarter than his brother, had an earlier enlightenment, and was also loved by the elders of the clan. He thought he was the sure choice, and before the result came out, he was still thinking about leading the Qiu family to go higher and further.
Unexpectedly, the person who was taken away was Qiu Dalang.
This reality dealt Qiu Cheng a heavy blow.
From then on, the treatment of the two brothers was completely different.
The savings of the second house had long been squandered by the previous generation, so they had little savings, and their food, clothing and other expenses were very tight. They could not even afford to keep a few servants. However, Qiu Dalang was like a fish in water in the first house. He studied under famous teachers, became a celebrity, held a high position, and was admired by thousands of people.
Qiu Cheng, however, racked his brains to maintain the basic dignity of a son of an aristocratic family. His life was extremely tight and he became increasingly resentful.
At some point, he had the cruel idea that it would be better if the boss died, but when he calmed down, he felt remorseful and ashamed. He thought he could control the demon in his heart, but he overestimated his morality and underestimated the resentment brought by jealousy.
The desire to kill my brother became stronger day by day, while the regret and shame after calming down became weaker day by day, until I could no longer feel it.
Qiu Dalang took away the life that belonged to him.
Why should he feel guilty and remorseful
So he lay in wait and waited for the opportunity.
Until the chaos broke out, Huang Lie gathered people and raised an army.
He also responded to the request without caring about his brother who was still a hostage in Zheng Qiao's hands. If Zheng Qiao beheaded his brother in anger, he would offer Zheng Qiao's head to his brother's family in the future, which would be a fulfillment of their brotherly love in this life.
However, he had never expected that the eldest brother's family would be able to escape death, let alone that he would be defeated in Sibao County and become a prisoner. He urgently needed the eldest brother to pay money to redeem his family.
The eldest lady tried to comfort him, "My dear, in my opinion, maybe uncle... maybe he didn't mean it that way... How can brothers have a deadly feud that can't be resolved? At most, you can go back and bow your head to uncle and admit your mistakes. Can he still kill you?"
After killing his own brother, does Qiu Dalang no longer care about his reputation
Qiu Cheng shook her hand off: "Women's opinion!"
The eldest lady was thrown so hard that she staggered two steps and fell to the ground.
"Escort him back to the Qiu family... Haha, what a great way to go back to the Qiu family... I almost killed his family, will he just pretend that it never happened? If it were you, would you just let it go? The boss is not a kind person! He was afraid of the troops in my hands before, so he had to be a turtle. Now I have no troops, and once I go back to the Qiu family, I am afraid that I will not even be able to decide my own death."
Qiu Cheng seemed to be possessed by a demon, his eyes were red and he was breathing heavily. His unfamiliar appearance frightened the eldest lady.
"My dear..." She cried miserably.
"I can't possibly lose to him..." Qiu Cheng's eyes fell on his sword. The sword that once seemed to weigh a thousand pounds was now easily pulled out by him. The sword reflected the hideous look on his face. "I'd rather die than be humiliated by him."
The sword is across the neck.
This scene stunned the lady.
When she came to her senses, her hands and feet had lost all their strength. She almost used both her hands and feet to crawl to Qiu Cheng's side, and raised her hand to cover her neck where blood was gushing out. At this time, Qiu Cheng had not yet completely died, and the spirit of literature could prolong his time in the world.
"After I leave... he will not dare to neglect me... Second wife, you can find another good match..."
———