So he had not let Jiang Yifeng die.
He had only broken his legs, forcing him to watch helplessly as the carefree womanizer he had once been was reduced to sitting timidly in a wheelchair, unable to do anything but look on in frustration.
“He’s nothing more than an illegitimate son. What a coincidence—his daughter is illegitimate too. A whole family of shameful wretches. What gives them the right to throw their weight around in my house?”
“Big Brother’s mother was your first wife, the woman you could never forget! That Ge woman is the one who’s been at your side all these years, the one you see and live with every day!”
Jiang Yicheng roared, “Then what about my mother? What was she to you? A tool you used to climb to the top of your career? A sacrifice for your political marriage? She was your lawfully wedded wife. In all these years, did you ever think of her?”
The Old Master suppressed his anger. “In my heart, your Aunt Ge was also a wife I married properly. It was only because a fortune-teller said I was destined to bring misfortune to my wives that I never registered the marriage with her! All these years, I’ve shown them more affection because I felt guilty that I couldn’t give them a proper status. But even so, it was only over a few insignificant matters. I can say with a clear conscience that I have always treated all of you brothers equally!”
“Marriage, children, starting a family, entering the company after you settled down—which of these things did I not arrange for you? Even if you wanted the group’s inheritance rights, you could have told me! You could have asked me for them! You could have proven yourself through your own abilities! Why did you have to ruthlessly strike at your own brother? If this old man was standing in your way, would you have spared me either?”
Jiang Yicheng sat there with his face taut, saying nothing.
Yes.
After eliminating his eldest brother, if the Old Master had traced it back to him, he would not have shown mercy either.
A true man could not afford to be softhearted.
If he wanted to accomplish anything, if he wanted power, he had no right to hesitate.
The silence that followed their heated quarrel only caused the Old Master’s fury to rise even higher.
What an unfilial son!
He took a deep breath and pressed the button beside the desk, summoning someone inside.
“I’ll make you divorce her, and I’ll arrange certificates severing Chu Ye and Chu Yu’s parent-child relationship with you.” The Old Master braced himself against the desk and stood up. “You owe your Fourth Brother two legs. I’ll have him come and collect the remaining debt himself.”
As for the Ning family—
Since they had the nerve to get involved, they could not blame him for being ruthless.
Butler Lin pushed a wheelchair into the room, helped the Old Master sit down, and escorted him out.
The Old Master’s legs had already been in poor condition. The poisoning had left him with minor aftereffects that affected his nerves, and the problem had now grown worse.
Jiang Yicheng watched his father’s back as he sat in the wheelchair, then looked down at his own injured leg.
Ha. The three father-and-son men in the family—
One was old, one was crippled, and one was paralyzed.
Not a single one of them could stand properly.
What a cruel twist of fate.
Tortured constantly by the pain in his body, he stared despairingly at the snow-white ceiling.
After all his frantic efforts, he had merely sewn a wedding dress for his eldest brother.
—
With the New Year approaching, Li Minghui finally made progress on his end. They had at last identified the culprit.
The people who had intended to harm the Old Master and plunge the family into chaos were from Huayao Group, the losing side in the recent municipal development project.
They had missed their chance to advance to the next level, and could only watch as their rival was poised to leave them far behind in another three years. How could they possibly swallow that?
So they had decided to go all the way. They quietly prepared a major strike: kill the Old Master, then incite a power struggle among the four branches of the Jiang family. In the ensuing chaos, they could fish in troubled waters. For all they knew, even the municipal project that had already broken ground might be taken away.
Once they took over, they would not even need to pay the initial costs. They could simply enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor and reap a handsome profit.
Driven by such enormous interests, they had meticulously planned a murder.
The poison had originally been smuggled in from Southeast Asia. As long as they washed the cup before Chairman Jiang succumbed to the poison and poured the remaining wine down the drain, the whole matter could remain undetected.
Once the Old Master died, they would stir up a struggle for power among the four branches. If they dragged things out long enough, who besides the police would care about the affairs of the deceased former head of the family?
But fate had other plans.
As for the Ning family and Huayao Group, the Old Master chose not to report them to the police.
Sometimes, the punishment the law could impose was limited.
A fine or a prison sentence would mean little to people with money and scapegoats willing to take the fall. It would hardly hurt them at all.
The Jiang family naturally could not accept that.
The twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.
An auspicious day for travel and ancestral worship.
The Jiang family was having the quietest and most modest New Year they had seen in decades.
The eldest son had not yet recovered enough to walk for long periods. The second son’s entire family was still confined to a sanatorium. The third son, divorced, had been locked away in a psychiatric hospital. The fourth son was paralyzed in both legs and had refused to see anyone.
This year’s ancestral rites and tomb-sweeping ceremony was attended by very few people. Only the Old Master Jiang and several of the grandchildren came.
Qiuyun followed the young miss into a wooded area on the western side of the estate. The leaves had withered and turned yellow, and the winding path led into a secluded corner.
The Old Master Jiang climbed down from his wheelchair and accepted the cane Butler Lin handed him, slowly making his way farther inside to demonstrate his sincerity in paying respects.
He could not help feeling that so many things had suddenly gone wrong this year because something must have been amiss with the family’s ancestral graves. He would have to find someone to exorcise the evil spirits.
The ancestral hall had already been cleaned and put in order.
The Old Master Jiang lit three sticks of incense. The younger generation, including Jiang Chuyun, who had never been entered into the family register, knelt in orderly succession according to age on the prayer mats, each bowing nine times.
Afterward, they bowed three more times on behalf of their parents, who had been unable to attend.
“Everyone, go on now.”
The Old Master Jiang waved tiredly and dismissed the children. Jiang Lin'an glanced at his grandfather, then quietly organized everyone’s departure from the ancestral hall.
“Seventh Sister~”
Jiang Chuyun came running over and clung tightly to Jiang Chuling’s arm. “It’s New Year’s, and I’m the only child left at home. Can you come keep me company?”
Their Fourth Uncle was hospitalized, and Granny Ge was at the hospital looking after him. Jiang Chuyun was still young, after all, and she was her cousin.
So Jiang Chuling readily agreed. “Then come back to Brightmoon House with me for dinner tonight.”
“No.” Jiang Chuyun shook her head. “Then there really wouldn’t be a single person at home. I don’t want the house to feel completely lifeless. Besides, New Year’s is supposed to be a time for the whole family to gather. Eldest Uncle is sick, and I’m an outsider—how could I go over and disturb you?”
Jiang Chuling glanced sideways at her.
She had not expected that, after everything she had been through, even the willful and reckless Jiang Chuyun had grown sensible.
“Seventh Sister, please come keep me company. You can go back when it’s time for dinner, okay? Please?”
This was—
“All right.” Jiang Chuling gave in. “Then I’ll tell my brother.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Although Jiang Chuyun was not particularly likable, she was still her cousin. Letting the two girls spend some time playing together over the New Year, with Qiuyun watching over them, was something Jiang Lin'an could accept.
The two girls rode to Xihe House. Jiang Chuyun took Jiang Chuling to the bedroom to play.
“Don’t let anyone come with us. I have something private to tell you.”
“Huh?”
Jiang Chuling was inexplicably pulled toward the elevator and looked at Xiaoqiu.
“Seventh Sister, come on.”
The two girls hurried upstairs.
Qiuyun frowned slightly. She planned to wait a few minutes, and if the supposed private conversation was not over by then, she would go upstairs and knock on the door.
Who would have thought—
The young miss had barely gone upstairs when Jiang Yifeng’s assistant appeared from the restaurant next door.
“Miss Qiu, please come upstairs.”
“…”
Tsk.
So it was not Jiang Chuyun who had something to say to the young miss after all. It was her father who wanted to speak with her.
