Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2847 Master Qingsong 65.0
"Is Cui Yuantong still alive?" Merlin asked curiously, looking at everyone. "Didn't he get himself killed?"

“Of course he’s alive.” Song Yaojia said, both amused and exasperated. “As the saying goes, fools have their luck. This applies to stupid people in general.” He spread his hands and looked at everyone, saying, “Although he’s not very bright and does very stupid things, and he always causes big trouble no matter what he does, he has one good point.”

"What's so good about it?"

“He’s very lucky.” Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow at the group. “Isn’t he lucky? He’s caused so much trouble and made so many mistakes. If it were someone else, they would probably have perfected themselves by now. But he…” He counted on his hand. “If I remember correctly, he’s reached the age of sixty this year. I ran into him at Taibai Tower before, and he still looked radiant.”

"This isn't just good luck, it's absolutely fantastic."

"Not only that, he also has an understanding, shrewd, and very magnanimous wife who manages the Cui family inside and out, from top to bottom, very well. Especially in the matter of Cui Yuantong, she has shown her shrewdness and resourcefulness. Even if Cui Yuantong offends someone by mistake because of his stupidity, people will not hold it against him because of his wife."

"This lady is amazing!" Merlin thought for a moment. "Of course, she's also a bit pitiful. Such a lovely girl, married to Cui Yuantong, and busy with his affairs all day long."

“Hey, that’s not how it works.” Song Yaojia waved his hand at Mei Lin. “Madam Cui is a heroine; you can’t describe her as pitiful.” He looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. “The daughter of a former Vice Minister of War, she has plenty of confidence!”

"Former Vice Minister of War?" Merlin thought for a moment. "From a noble family?"

"More or less." Shen Cha nodded. "When Madam Cui was young, she followed her father and brothers to fight against the southwestern barbarians. Speaking of which," she looked at Shen Haolin, "her family has some connection with the She family?"

“Yes!” Shen Haolin nodded. “Before She Nanqi was stationed in Liuzhou, he served under Madam Cui’s great-grandfather and was one of his guards.”

"There's this other connection," Merlin thought for a moment, "Then Madam Cui's family must have a noble title, right?"

"Originally, yes, but her family's title was different from ours. It was a descending hereditary title, starting from earl and going down all the way. By the time it came to Madam Cui's father's generation, they were basically commoners. Madam Cui's father and brother earned their positions as vice ministers of the Ministry of War through their military achievements."

"So that's how it is, but," Merlin still couldn't understand, "why did she marry Cui Yuantong?"

“A family friendship!” Song Yaojia chuckled. “Cui Yuantong and Madam grew up together. Madam Cui knows Cui Yuantong very well. And what she knows best is that Cui Yuantong will not be like her father, who hastily promoted his favorite concubine to the position of wife a year after his first wife passed away, nor will he be like her brother, who favored his concubine over his wife. At this age, Cui Yuantong has neither concubines nor mistresses, not even a maidservant. He only has Madam Cui.”

"One life, one love, one partner?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded. “When they got married, Uncle Bai and Uncle Bai went. They said that Cui Yuantong knelt before his and his wife’s parents and swore that he would never do anything to betray Madam Cui, would never take a concubine, and would never have any involvement with other women.” He spread his hands towards Jin Miaomiao and Mei Lin, who looked shocked. “Although he’s stupid, he kept his word.” “In that respect, he’s a good man. However,” Jin Miaomiao sighed, “I can’t help but pour cold water on him. With his style of causing trouble wherever he goes, and feeling like his day is wasted if he doesn’t, I doubt either a man or a woman would be with him. It’s not for any other reason than that we simply can’t afford to worry about him.”

"This..." Song Yaojia was stunned by Jin Miaomiao's words. "What she said makes sense."

"So, those two from the Gong family are comparable to Cui Yuantong?" Shen Cha thought for a moment. "They shouldn't be stupid in the same way, right?"

“Of course not. Cui Yuantong is naturally stupid and unaware of his own stupidity, while Gong Sheng and Gong Wu are different. They are stupid because they are blinded by money and disregard their own lives.” Song Yaojia sneered. “They are completely blinded by that hundred taels of silver, and they are even scheming about how to make more money from Gongsun Yue and Master Qingsong.”

“As expected,” Jin Miaomiao nodded, “very stupid.”

"Gong Wu led Gong Sheng into the private room of the teahouse where Gongsun Yue and Master Qingsong were. At first, Gong Sheng pretended to be reserved, putting on the air of a superior person, the kind of attitude that made him look down on everyone else as if they were nothing but ants. When Gongsun Yue and Master Qingsong saw that the other party was putting on this air, they also pretended to be uneasy and looked at Gong Sheng with expectant eyes."

What clothes was my master wearing back then?

“Like Gongsun Yue, they are relatively glamorous, the kind of people who can be told at a glance that they are very rich.” Song Yaojia chuckled. “So, Gong Sheng doesn’t need to find out anything. Just by looking at their clothes, he can tell that they are two big fat sheep.”

“A clever hunter often appears in the form of prey.” Shen Chaqing chuckled. “Putting aside everything else, in terms of playing tricks, if Gongsun Yue is willing to be second, no one would dare to admit that they are first.”

“That’s right.” Song Yaojia snapped his fingers lightly. “Next came the tug-of-war between the two sides. Gong Sheng looked Gongsun Yue and Master Qingsong up and down, exaggerating their situation to make it more serious. For example, if they didn’t resolve it properly, they would at least suffer financial losses and injuries, and at worst, their families would be implicated, possibly even facing bloodshed.” He chuckled, took a sip of tea, and handed the empty cup to Merlin. “Gongsun Yue and Master Qingsong showed appropriate signs of blankness, fear, and unease, asking each other how to resolve the situation.”

What was Gong Sheng's reaction?

"What other reaction could there be? Of course, they'd feign profundity, saying it's not that there's no way to resolve it, but rather that their situation is extremely serious, and a complete resolution wouldn't be easy. It would require many precious items, and these things are hard to find." Song Yaojia took the teacup Mei Lin handed her, smiled at her, and continued, "At this moment, Gongsun Yue opportunely chimed in, asking if he had any connections, that they could seek help through the master's influence. Gong Sheng, sensing an opportunity, readily agreed, saying that he had found some in the past few days, which was barely enough for his own use, but saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, so he could give it to them."

"Next, we should talk about the price, right?"

"No, no, no!" Song Yaojia stretched out her finger and shook it. "Gongsun Yue is indeed an old fox. At this moment, he showed suspicion."