Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"Alright, alright, next time there's this kind of arranged marriage, I'll definitely discuss it with you first, is that settled?"

"Besides, the Lou family is the president of the Beijing Chamber of Commerce. They have deep roots and great influence, making them a perfect match for our Li family. I've met that girl myself; she has bright and beautiful features and is sure to grow up to be a great beauty. Our Xiaoguozhi won't be at a disadvantage, don't worry!"

Li Wenguo became more and more smug as he spoke, his lips almost curling up to his ears.

He even secretly planned: when the next generation grows up, he would simply bring all the well-known girls in the courtyard into the Li family—that would make all the boys bachelors, hehe!

Is that really his plan? After all, he has at least thirty or forty sons, but how many daughters are there in the courtyard house?

"Hmph, the Lou family is wealthy and powerful with deep roots. I'm afraid the girl they raise will be an arrogant and domineering young lady who can't even hold a cup of tea properly, let alone serve others."

He Shuting's words were purely nitpicking.

She had been holding back her anger for a long time—her husband had been secretly discussing their son's marriage with Lou Meie behind her back, as if she, the head of the household, was just a figurehead.

Little did she know that Xu Wanqing had already quietly taken over her position as the legal wife; if she had known, she probably would have overturned the coffee table by now.

"this……"

Li Wenguo was speechless for a moment, and could only vaguely decline: "Oh, that's more than ten years from now, why are you in such a hurry? Okay, okay, stop going over this issue."

"By the way, has that intelligence report been translated yet?"

"It's translated. Take a look for yourself."

He Shuting grabbed the paper and slapped it into his palm. She turned her face away, her cheeks puffed out like an angry pufferfish.

Li Wenguo was too lazy to bother with it—to give someone such a trivial matter was, in his eyes, pure nonsense.

"Researchers? Biological weapons?"

Isn't this exactly the kind of thing that involves producing poison gas?

He frowned.

This secret report came from the Kuomintang's Northeast Military Intelligence Station and was intercepted from within the Japanese puppet regime: several experts specializing in biological and chemical weapons had secretly arrived in Beijing, and the Military Intelligence Headquarters immediately issued an order—to find out their whereabouts and eliminate them on the spot.

Li Wenguo immediately handed the task over to Niu Dali, instructing him to secretly keep watch, scout the location, and then close in.

Ever since he returned from Qingzhong, he had already handed over all the stationmaster's duties to his clone Niu Dali, while he himself stayed in the embassy district enjoying a life of leisure, living a relaxed and comfortable life, so comfortable that he wanted to hum a little tune with his toes every day.

Seeing that He Shuting was still standing there with a stern face, he simply reached out and scooped her up in his arms.

"Huh? Don't be silly, sir! Dinner will be served in ten minutes!"

Of course she knew what he wanted to do.

Her fair face flushed red, and the pent-up anger in her heart vanished.

"Hehe, don't worry, I'm quick and efficient, I won't let anything go wrong."

He grinned, a wicked glint in his eyes.

"How exactly should it be done efficiently?"

"My belly is all round now—I'm five months pregnant."

"It's alright, let them wait a little longer."

He didn't care at all.

"No way! If we delay the mealtime, where will I, as the head wife, put my face? What about the rules?"

She verbally refused, but her body went limp, only managing a symbolic twist.

Li Wenguo knew perfectly well that what this woman cared about most was the title of "official wife." But why would he let go of something he already had? He coaxed, "Alright, alright, alright, I'll let you down at the right time, then you can call Xiaoxue in to serve you, isn't that settled?"

She finally relaxed, but still pouted and muttered, "But you're not allowed to roll around on our bed."

"I know, I know, you stingy person, you're so petty."

His hand had already slipped inside his clothes, his movements practiced yet urgent.

On Qingzhong's side.

Inside a sprawling, ornately decorated manor, in the luxurious living room, Emperor Song Qingzong's face was ashen, while his wife, Madam Song, looked both angry and pained. Both stared at Song Caidie, who stood with her head bowed—her hands protecting her slightly protruding belly, clearly indicating she was pregnant.

"explain!"

"Whose child is it?"

Song Qingzong's voice was deep and heavy, like a stone pressing down on it.

He is Song Caidie's biological father and Song Qingzhi's elder brother.

Song Caidie bit her lip, refusing to look up or speak.

This silence only fueled Emperor Qingzong's anger even more.

Pregnancy before marriage—in the Song family, that's practically throwing excrement at their ancestral tablets.

He was about to scold him again when Madam Song quickly pressed his arm and gently advised, "My dear daughter, tell your mother quickly, or your father will really be heartless and send you to the pharmacy!"

"No!" Song Caidie suddenly looked up, her hands tightly protecting her stomach. "This is the child of the man I love. No one is allowed to harm a single hair on his head!"

"The man you love?" Song Qingzong laughed angrily. "Song Caidie, do you have any shame? Do you even deserve the surname Song?"

"According to old customs, such a thing should result in being drowned!"

His chest heaved, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

The Song family was one of the four major families in the Republic of China. Now that this scandal has occurred, how can he still save face in front of others?

"But...but I'm already pregnant, what can I do?"

Her voice was weak and her eyes darted around.

"What should we do?" Song Qingzong asked decisively, "Get rid of it."

This is the only way to cover up this mess.

"No! I must give birth to this child."

Song Caidie straightened her back, her voice clear and firm, like a short knife drawn from its sheath, piercing straight at her father.

"You—you—you're really going to drive me crazy!"

Song Qingzong's fingers trembled, his eyes widened, and the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly.

"Dad, Mom, little sister, breakfast is ready. Shall we start eating? I'll go upstairs and call Tianlang down."

Before the words were finished, a graceful young woman with gentle features walked into the living room. Her skirt fluttered slightly, but her gaze swept over Song Caidie's slightly protruding belly before quickly looking down.

She is the daughter-in-law of the Song family, and Song Caidie's sister-in-law—the Song family does have an eldest son named Song Tianlang.

"Sir, why don't you eat first? You'll have more energy to scold people when you're full."

The middle-aged woman gently persuaded her, her fingertips lightly pressing on the back of her daughter's hand.

"Sigh...eat it!"

Emperor Song Qingzong understood perfectly well that his wife was just being overly protective of her child; though she was complaining, her heart had already melted like cotton.

A moment later, a tall and slender figure followed the young woman down the stairs—his military uniform was impeccably tailored, his shoulders were sharp, and his handsome face exuded composure; it was Song Tianlang.

He had barely sat down at the table when he noticed the tense atmosphere: his father's face was ashen, his mother's lips were pursed in silence, and his younger sister was twisting the hem of her clothes, even the porridge in her bowl seemed to gleam coldly. His heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Emperor Song Qingzong glanced at his daughter sideways and snorted, "Ask your dear sister!"

Song Tianlang was taken aback, then turned to his younger sister, a gentle smile playing on his lips: "Little sister, what trouble have you gotten into this time? Quickly apologize to Father and Mother, and we'll let it go, right?"

"Admit it quickly!"

Suddenly, his sister-in-law tugged at his sleeve, her eyes quickly glancing at Song Caidie's abdomen.

He then looked closely—his sister's usually slender waist had subtly developed a soft, graceful curve. His heart sank suddenly, as if someone had grabbed it.

"Little sister, you..."

"Yes, brother, I'm pregnant." Song Caidie looked up, her eyes showing no fear, only a clear light.

"Bang--!"

Song Tianlang slammed his hand heavily on the mahogany table, causing a spoon to bounce half an inch. He then abruptly stood up, shouting, "That bastard Tang Zhenbang! I'll lead my men to raze the Tang family mansion to the ground!"

The only thing that came to his mind was the old story of his sister being cornered at the alley entrance by that beast last year.

"stop!!!"

A sharp shout rang out like a thunderclap.

Emperor Song Qingzong's face turned ashen: "Not from the Tang family."

"Not the Tang family? Then who is it?" Song Tianlang frowned, his gaze fixed intently on his sister.

Song Caidie took a deep breath and finally uttered the name: "It's Li Wenguo. The head of the Beijing Military Intelligence Station. If he hadn't arrived in time, I would have been ruined by Tang Zhenbang long ago..." She paused, her voice softening, "He is the person I truly love."

Li Wenguo?

Emperor Song Qingzong's heart stirred slightly—this name had indeed echoed in his ears. It wasn't his younger brother who suggested it, but rather it came from a secret report from high-ranking officials the day before yesterday. The report mentioned that only the Beijing station had repeatedly cracked enemy spies and disrupted the Japanese rear. When the station chief read out this person's name in a hoarse voice, even the chief nodded in approval.

"Father, since he's the man my little sister loves, why not transfer him to the Qingzhong Military Intelligence Headquarters and get married as soon as possible? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Song Tianlang breathed a sigh of relief, his tone becoming lighter. He had raised his younger sister single-handedly, and as long as she was happy, he would do everything in his power to support her. Besides, she was twenty-six; the marriage couldn't be delayed.

"That's all we can do."

Emperor Song Qingzong nodded. His earlier outburst about abortion was merely a fit of anger and shock—his only daughter was as precious as a pearl in his palm, how could he bear to harm her in the slightest? Besides, this Li Wenguo was indeed a tough man.

"No!"

Song Caidie, however, was resolute.

"Why not? You chose him, you carried the child, it's only natural for you to get married!" the mother exclaimed anxiously.

"Yes, that's great!" the older brother chimed in.

The father remained silent, simply gazing at her.

Song Caidie gently placed her hands on her lower abdomen, her voice soft yet steady: "Wen Guo said that he would marry me on the day the Japanese devils are driven out and the country is restored to its former glory."

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, but a soft smile appeared on her lips—her heart was already surging with desire as her elders relented.

"absurd!"

Song Qingzong slammed his fist on the table and stood up, "When will the war of resistance end? Are you going to stay here with your baby for the rest of your life? Your belly is getting bigger every day, if you don't get married, what will the neighbors think of you?"

His chest heaved, clearly annoyed that Li Wenguo had used empty promises to deceive his innocent daughter.

"Half an hour later, I personally made a phone call and transferred him to the headquarters of the Qingzhong Military Intelligence Bureau."

The Military Intelligence Bureau's power was growing, and it was about to reach an unprecedented peak, but in the eyes of the old-fashioned figures who truly held power, it was nothing more than a paper tiger.

"Father! If you take this step, how will I ever face anyone again?"

Song Caidie's voice trembled with anxiety.

Ha! Is your face more valuable, or is my face worth more?

The father didn't even lift his eyelids, and just scoffed.

She understood immediately from his expression—she couldn't persuade him. But her lover was in dire straits, so she gritted her teeth and resorted to a near-self-destructive method:

"If you really want to force me to break my promise, you might as well bury me now!"

"Give it a try!!"

The father roared like thunder, making the windowpanes vibrate.

"Alright, alright, don't get so worked up. We have a long life ahead of us, let's take our time to figure it out."

The mother gently smoothed things over.

"Consider it? Consider it my foot! Open your eyes and look around! Her waist has gotten so much thicker. Every time she takes a few steps outside, every neighbor points and whispers. She's trampled the Song family's century-old reputation into the mud!"

The veins on his father's forehead throbbed, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.