Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 125 Bastard

Nianyao slowly said, "So, the most pitiful one is my father? He was betrayed by both Yueniang and his brothers?"

Xu Lai said, "Chief, if you stop Yue Niang from having a child, her child won't live. Do you know what a child means to a woman? Yue Niang was in her twenties then; it's a miracle she didn't go crazy. Later, she and your father never had any feelings for each other..."

Nianyao asked, "Does my father know that child is yours?"

Xu Lai sighed: "I know. The old gang leader told me to pick a day to escort Yue Niang back to Bianjing to visit her relatives, meaning that I should leave with Yue Niang. At that time, the gang was busy, and I wanted to help the old gang leader sort out the gang's affairs before leaving. As a result, Yue Niang took advantage of the chaos to push you into the river, which made Liu Lin want to kill you."

I repay both kindness and vengeance. The matter was not accomplished, but I appreciate the old gang leader's good intentions. For over a decade, I've been fairly diligent in my duties to the gang, neither treating you well nor badly, and I only harbored murderous intent towards Liu Lin after the old gang leader's passing.

Nianyao asked, "How did Yueniang and my father meet?"

Xu Lai said, "Yue Niang used to be a palace maid, and the old gang leader and I were imperial bodyguards. When the old gang leader was young, he was handsome and skilled in martial arts. He didn't like to talk, but he was meticulous and steady."

When Yue Niang learned of your mother's death, she went to great lengths to find you after leaving the palace. After Yue Niang recovered, Yan Zeyi came to visit her, and it was Liu Lin and I who escorted Yue Niang to the dock in Wudong County to see him.

Moon Maiden pushed her into the river. Father didn't intend to kill, but Uncle Liu did? Nianyao asked, "What is my relationship with Uncle Liu?"

Xu Lai hesitated for a moment: "Liu Lin was originally your maternal grandmother's attendant. Your maternal grandmother entrusted him to take care of your mother. Since your mother died early, he has been protecting you."

Grandma? Nianyao suddenly remembered the Ning Dowager, who couldn't recognize people well. She had been holding her hand and calling her Rao'er... So it was Yao'er... No wonder the Princess Consort always looked at her? No wonder she felt so familiar and close to the Ning Dowager, no wonder they stopped her from asking about the elopement...

Nianyao said blankly, "My maternal grandmother is Consort Ning!"

Xu Lai nodded: "Yes!"

Nianyao scoffed, "As expected of a high-ranking family, they are well-educated and courteous. Even after decades, they dare not let anyone mention it, for fear of disgracing the Prince's family."

Xu Lai sighed, his intense and complex emotions seemingly fading away with each sigh. Everyone has their own unavoidable circumstances; to avoid suffering is fortunate, and to understand suffering is compassion.

Nianyao suddenly asked, "You went back to Bianjing to visit relatives? What is Yan Zeyu doing in Bianjing? Someone like him shouldn't have taken more than ten years in the Dahe Gang to become a boat captain. Even if he wasn't a boat captain, he should at least be well-known in the Dahe Gang?"

Qin Jiu nodded silently. Seeing Xu Lai hesitate, Nian Yao guessed, "Is Yan Zeyi also from the Imperial Guard?"

Xu Lai looked at her in surprise, which could be considered an admission.

"He came to the Great River Gang not just for revenge, but to be a spy for Dongyang? The Crown Prince should know Yan Zeyi, and that Luo An..." Nianyao was both angry and heartbroken: "That bastard Luo An, he kept it from me and lied to me. When he comes back, I'll skin him alive and tear him apart, or he'll change his surname to Xue..."

Qin Jiu glanced at Xu Lai and advised, "Chief, Brother Liu has already left, and Yan Zeyi has gone to Hengshan with the young master. Let bygones be bygones regarding the grudges of the previous generation."

Xu Lai stood up: "Boss, you can kill me anytime. I won't resist or struggle. The old boss is gone, Liu Lin is gone, there's no point in me living."

Xu Lai stood in the Xianzhou Courtyard, looking up at the sky. The matter that had been weighing on his heart for more than ten years finally saw the light of day again: he felt relieved but also somewhat lost!

Nianyao leaned back in her chair, lost in thought.

Qin Jiu said, "Chief, you don't mean to go to Hengshan, do you?"

Nianyao shook her head: "I'm not going. Luo An is a bastard, he's not worth it."

Luo An said last night, "Nianyao, I have to go out. Wait for me on Chongming Island." Is that what he calls having to go out?

Nianyao closed her eyes to calm herself, and when she opened them, her voice was filled with melancholy: "Ninth... Ninth Brother, I really hate him. He left without a word, without any discussion..."

Qin Jiu said, "If he asks you for a suggestion, you definitely won't agree, and if you argue, you'll call him crazy..."

Nianyao pouted: "You're a guy, of course you're on his side. Where's Hu Zi? Doesn't he like to stick with Luo An? Why didn't he go with Luo An?"

Qin Jiu said, "He went to dig the ground."

Nianyao asked, "What did Eighth Sister do this time?"

Qin Jiu said, "Eighth Sister cleared a plot of land on the east side of the village and asked her brothers to buy some cabbage seeds from Wudong County. Eighth Sister felt it was a waste to have too many seeds, so Hu Zi gathered the brothers to dig the ground and plant all the seeds. Chief, we don't need to buy cabbages anymore."

Looking out of the teahouse, Nianyao suddenly said, "That day, Yuan Feng said that the Dahe Gang doesn't produce people or food. Actually, we don't need to make a living by selling seafood and transporting goods and passengers. We can grow grains and vegetables and raise poultry and livestock on Chongming Island to be self-sufficient."

Then let the families move to the island, where the brothers can live and multiply. Chongming Island is a beautiful paradise, a haven where we wouldn't have to be controlled by anyone.

Qin Jiu stared blankly at Nian Yao, unable to react for a moment, when he heard a commotion outside.

Qin Jiu and Nian Yao came out of the teahouse and saw Ba Mei dragging Hu Zi over by the clothes. Hu Zi was carrying a hoe, followed by a group of brothers.

Qin Jiu quickly asked, "What happened?"

Eighth Sister said, "Ninth Brother, everyone calls me Tiger Sister..."

Qin Jiu naturally remembered that Eighth Sister had once said that Tiger Sister was a vixen, and comforted her, "Eighth Sister, don't overthink it, this name is very proper. The brothers just feel close to her, that's all!"

Eighth Sister argued, "No, they said I was Tiger's wife, and they called me Sister-in-law Tiger, sister-in-law... My reputation is ruined..."

"I see?" Qin Jiu said seriously, "The Great River Gang forbids spreading rumors and causing trouble. If anyone ruins your reputation again, tell me, and I'll deduct one tael of silver from their monthly pay. One tael of silver will be deducted for each time they say it..."

"Okay!" Eighth Sister nodded in satisfaction, then thought for a moment and added, "Ninth Brother, I can't live with Tiger anymore. It's too much for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together..."

Nianyao interrupted her: "What do you mean by sharing a room? Aren't there two rooms? There's a small living room in between. You two slept in the same room? Did Tiger climb into your bed at night?"

Tiger immediately said, "No, no, I didn't! Boss, don't wrong an innocent person!"

Nianyao asked, "Did Eighth Sister run into your room?"

Eighth Sister immediately shook her head, emphasizing her innocence: "No! I'm not that kind of person!"

Nianyao said, "Then how did that mean we were sharing a room?"

Eighth Sister was intimidated by Nianyao's fierceness, and what she said made sense. Eighth Sister looked pitiful: "It's...it's what they said about us being alone in a room..."

Nianyao angrily said, "Who said that? Identify them now, and let Uncle Jiu... Ninth Brother deduct their money."

Eighth Sister glanced at her brothers, seeing them all bowing their heads, and felt a pang of guilt for deducting too much money: "Never mind..."

Nianyao persisted, "Let it go? How can we let it go? A country has its laws, and a gang has its rules. You're clearly disregarding the gang rules! If you don't find all the people spreading rumors, even if you've made trouble out of nothing, you'll still have to deduct one hundred taels from Hu Zi's account..."

What?! Everyone was stunned!