Xiaobao couldn't figure out what he did to offend him, as for several days in a row, he
stayed locked up in his room without making a sound.
Xiaobao was aware of his peculiar temperament, somewhat childlike at heart.
Despite his harsh words, Xiaobao couldn't bring himself to blame him, especially since
these past few days he had been preoccupied with matters concerning his father, leaving him no time to seek him out.
Finally, by a mix of threats and incentives, Xiaobao managed to move the most
renowned physician from Suzhou to the Jin residence. Not stopping there, he also
purchased many expensive medicinal herbs. Yet, he felt it wasn't enough. He decided to personally visit Yuxia to consult with Doctor Zhang for more effective remedies for his father, hoping to bring him back if possible.
Xiaobao shared his plan with Lady Jin, who fully supported the idea, advising him to
take several maids and servants for the journey to Yuxia, which would take about half a month round trip, or at least seven to eight days of continuous travel. Xiaobao,
however, refused to take additional people, seeing it as a waste of time. Lady Jin,
unable to persuade him otherwise, reluctantly agreed, feeling reassured and proud that her son had grown up and become sensible.
Originally, Xiaobao intended to only take Zhao Cai and Jin Bao with him, but then he
thought about the recent spark of warmth between him and Huan En. Fearing that
taking a break of ten days to a half month might cool things down, he came up with
the idea to invite Huan En along.
Huan En, skilled in martial arts and efficient in handling matters, would not only
help save time, but the trip also presented an opportunity for the two to spend days
together in solitude. Taking a shortcut through Yuxia would mean traveling through
remote and rugged terrains, especially to reach Doctor Zhang's residence in the
mountains. The journey alone, with much time spent in the company of just each
other, would be an excellent chance for their relationship to develop and heat up. If
he didn't seize this moment, it might be too late upon their return.
Xiaobao saw this as killing two birds with one stone. Bringing Zhao Cai and Jin Bao
along would only lead to incessant nagging about meal and sleep schedules, and the
insistence on not overexerting or trusting strangers. While in peaceful and affluent
areas, their preferences might prevail, but in remote places like Yuxia, it was essential
to heed their advice. His previous experience in Yuxia was frustrating and time-consuming.
Xiaobao felt himself to be exceptionally clever.
However, considering that Huan En had been shut in for the past few days, Xiaobao
wondered if Huan En would even pay attention to him.
Thus, he first shared his thoughts with Zhao Cai and Jin Bao, only to encounter the
most intense opposition he had ever faced.
"No way! Young Master! Absolutely not! That person's background is unknown.
Unless you incapacitate us, as long as we can move, Jin Bao and I will never allow you
to go out alone, not to mention going on a long journey. Even stepping out alone is out
of the question."
Xiaobao was infuriated by this, "Why are you so stubborn? Huan En and I are on
good terms now. He must have his reasons for not sharing his background. If he
wanted to harm me, I would have been dead many times over."
Jin Bao shook his head like a rattle, knowing his young master was always willful
and insisted on getting his way, which made him truly anxious, "Young Master, it's
absolutely not possible. Young Master Su said that Huan En is not a good person..."
Zhao Cai interrupted, "Jin Bao!"
Jin Bao, realizing his slip, deeply regretted why he always misspoke.
Xiaobao frowned, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Cai hurriedly said, "Young Master Su told us that Huan En is not a good
person, that's all we know."
Xiaobao was furious, "Nonsense, have you grown too bold, siding with Su Yin to
deceive your own young master? Tell me, what's really going on!"
Zhao Cai, on the verge of tears, urgently expressed, "Young Master, we truly
haven't deceived you. We genuinely do not know the origins of Huan En. Perhaps
Young Master Su does, but he hasn't shared it with us. He also instructed us not to
tell you, claiming you're incapable of keeping secrets. If you were to learn anything, you would surely cause trouble. He merely mentioned that Huan En is not a good person and has ulterior motives for approaching you, warning us to be wary of him."
Xiaobao felt a sense of discomfort in his heart. Su Yin always acted with discretion
and was not one to speak without reason. He had also harbored suspicions about why
Huan En suddenly decided to stay in the Jin residence. Despite these doubts, Xiaobao
liked Huan En and truly didn't want to suspect him. He couldn't help but suppress any slight negative speculation, preferring to believe that Huan En had developed an
interest in the matter after being involved once and simply couldn't let go. At the very
least, Huan En seemed interested in him as a person. Otherwise, if it were for some
ulterior motive, the Jin family had plenty of valuables to attract outsiders.
However, Huan En's demeanor appeared pure and untainted by greed, not
resembling someone covetous of wealth. Even if Huan En were greedy, Xiaobao, who
lacked nothing in terms of wealth, could satisfy his needs. Beyond this, Xiaobao
couldn't think of any reason Huan En would wish him harm.
Xiaobao didn't want to dwell on these thoughts any longer. He felt that Huan En
wouldn't harm him. If Huan En had wanted to, he could have done so at any time.
Now, all Xiaobao wanted was to travel with Huan En to seek medicine for his father.
He decided to wait for Su Yin's return to clarify everything.
With a sigh, Xiaobao realized his loyal servants would never allow him to leave with
Huan En, so he stopped arguing. He simply asked Zhao Cai to prepare a simple set of
luggage.
After much hesitation, Xiaobao stood up to seek out Huan En.
*
"Young Master, there's news."
"Speak."
The young master was informed that Jin Xiaobao's sister, Jin Xiaoyu, was indeed Xue Lianqing, the orphan of the Xue family. On the night the Xue family was annihilated,
Jin Xiaobao rushed to the Xue residence, and it seemed Xue Lianqing was the only
survivor. How she managed to hide remains unknown. Xue Lianqing's brother, the
eldest son of the Xue family, Xue Minyu, had a deep relationship with Jin Xiaobao,
which was largely unknown to outsiders. The two were not of the same ilk; Xue Minyu
was known for his integrity and conservatism, unlikely to associate with someone like Jin Xiaobao.
However, it was said that a few years ago, Jin Xiaobao was rescued by
Xue Minyu during a conflict at the Yicui Building.
"Yicui Building?"
"It's a brothel," Zuo Ying explained.
Huai En snorted coldly, "Continue."
Somehow, Jin Xiaobao received information faster than them and rushed to the Xue
family, taking Xue Lianqing back to Jin's residence for protection.
"How could Jin Xiaobao take her away without being detected by the authorities?"
Huai En questioned.
"Our intelligence suggests someone deliberately severed all clues. It took us
significant effort to find out. Had we not recognized Xue Lianqing by her appearance, we might not have discovered this. Someone with such capability and willingness to do this, I suspect..."
Huai En mused, "Su Yin." This person was truly extraordinary, able to influence
actions from afar. In recent nights, moving around the Jin residence to avoid the
guards he had placed was challenging.
Unfortunately, no matter his abilities, the fate
of the Jin family was already in his hands.
"Send a message to my father, telling him I'll soon have what we need and to inform
Li Gongxiang to prepare in advance. We owe the Xue family too much, and he should
understand that. He will not lack anything he is due, but the plan has changed. As
long as Li Gongxiang shows up on time, the rest is under my control. Tell him not to
interfere."
"Yes, young master. Do you already know where the item is?"
Huan En confidently stated, "Where it is temporarily unknown, but it must be
somewhere in the Jin's estate, and they will bring it out themselves."
"I don't understand," his subordinate confessed.
"In the past few days, I've discovered something peculiar," Huan En continued,
"Every three months, on the third day of the month, the stewards of the Jin family's
businesses from the southern provinces gather in Suzhou to keep accounts together."
"Why would they need to gather every three months when the accounts are
regularly sent to the Jin's estate every month?"
"Indeed, they do keep accounts, but these are secret accounts," Huan En explained.
"Such a significant matter is naturally not entrusted to others, hence the stewards
must attend in person. However, meeting every month would be too frequent and
draw attention. Even if someone became aware, they might simply think that the Jin
family has a unique way of managing accounts."
"The third day of next month would be the best opportunity. Young master, we only
have half a month left, we need to start preparing early."
Huan En frowned, "There's no hurry for this matter, and don't mention it to my
father. Let me think it over."
"Young master?" The surprise was evident in the voice of his right-hand man. They
had been planning and deploying the mission in the southern region for over a year, and it was time to act. Delaying could result in missing this opportunity and having to wait another three months, which could have unimaginable consequences for their
leader's plans.
Huan En was feeling irritable, fully aware of the pressing time constraints. His
father had urged him to bring back the items obtained from Prince Shen to their
organization. After retrieving the items from the Jin family, they had to leave
immediately to proceed with the planned events... Then... Huan En's mind conjured
the image of Xiaobao's round face and crescent-moon-like smiling eyes.
You Ying pursed his lips, bowed his head, and clasped his hands together, "Young
master, I dare to speak out of turn..."
Huan En glanced at him, "Speak."
"Is it because of Jin Xiaobao...?" You Ying ventured.
Huan En narrowed his eyes, "What are you trying to say?"
"Your relationship with Jin Xiaobao..."
"Correct." Huan En knew exactly what he meant and admitted it without changing
his expression.
"Young master! How could you be involved with such a vulgar person... And he is
also a..." You Ying struggled to swallow the last words, finding it hard to say out loud.
They had idolized the young master since they were children. Although younger, the
young master was highly skilled in martial arts, brave, strategic, and known for his
calm and decisive nature, embodying the spirit of a great general. The leader was
undertaking a grand mission to overturn the world order, and naturally, the young
master was held in high esteem, revered and respected like a celestial being. Yet now,
he had engaged in a demeaning affair with a vulgar ruffian, willingly, which they
found difficult to accept.
Huan En was made uncomfortable by their tone, "Am I not also a man? Can I not
enjoy the pleasures of the flesh?" You Ying was overstepping his bounds today. Under
normal circumstances, Huan En would have made him unable to rise for half a month,
but today his attitude towards him and Xiaobao, along with You Ying's failure to stop his foolish brother, showed they shared the same sentiment, prompting Huan En to
feel the need to argue.
What significance did being a man hold? To the common folk, it seemed
inconsequential. He had never harbored any expectations for Xiaobao; ensuring his
own comfort was his only concern.
"Young Master, I, your right shadow, did not intend to offend. Could it be that your
current hesitations are for his sake? You once detested others coming close, yet now
you and Jin Xiaobao... I am merely worried... It's just... The sect leader had arranged a
marriage for you long ago."
Huan En quickly delivered several slaps to You Ying, causing his cheeks to swell and
blood to trickle from the corners of his mouth. Immediately, You Ying nodded in
acknowledgment of his mistake, "You Ying is in the wrong."
Huan En angrily declared, "I have my own reasons for my actions. Since when is it your place to be overly concerned! Do you think I intend to marry Jin Xiaobao? Such
foolish words dare to be spoken. What if I am merely passing time here, how does that
concern you? You dare to use my father to pressure me; had it not been for our many
years together, you would have lost your life several times over!"
Zuo Ying hastily bowed, "Young Master, please calm your anger. You Ying meant no
harm; he was just worried about you with no other intentions."
Huan En stood up, kicked You Ying to the ground, and warned, "If you ever bring up
the matter of an arranged marriage again, I'll make sure you'll never be able to speak
for the rest of your life." With a wave of his sleeve, he flung the door open with a bang
and commanded, "Get out!"