CHAPTER 737: CHAPTER 737: HE IS THEIR BIOLOGICAL GRANDFATHER

How dare they kill Xia Gu and his wife, speaking such threatening words to the entire Lu Family lineage—it’s just like the second one, both are unreasonable scoundrels. But what was the second one’s ultimate fate?

Buried underground, probably gnawed to the bone by worms by now.

Knock knock~

The gentle sound of knocking rose, and outside Housekeeper Lu said: "Old Master Lu Er, dinner has been prepared for you. Should your servant bring it in now, or wait a while longer?"

Old Master Lu Er has been hiding in his room since receiving letters from Lord Fang and Master Hu, and an afternoon has passed. It was already dark outside, and he had yet to emerge.

But Housekeeper Lu was not worried; instead, he quite understood Old Master Lu Er’s feelings. After all, the letters he received concerned the young masters, and as a loving grandfather, he naturally couldn’t bear to put them down.

Old Master Lu Er said: "Bring it in."

Having stayed in the room all day, he was hungry.

"Yes." Housekeeper Lu answered, pushing the door open, and behind him followed six maids carrying food boxes.

The maids smoothly took out clay stoves, placed charcoal fire in the six stoves, then took out the dishes and placed them atop the stoves to heat. With this arrangement for dining, no matter how long Old Master Lu Er took to eat, the food would always stay warm, never getting cold halfway.

After the maids set up the meal, Housekeeper Lu came over to invite Old Master Lu Er: "Please have your meal, and you can continue reading after."

He said with a smile that was somewhat affectionate, and his eyes fell on the letters in Old Master Lu Er’s hand: "Every time there’s news about a few young masters, you always spend a long time looking at it, truly fitting of a caring grandfather."

Old Master Lu Er smiled, folding the letter and placing it in a brocade box next to him. The box contained many letters, all delivered by Master Hu, all about those children.

Housekeeper Lu was right, he was indeed their loving grandfather now...

...

Inside a separate yard in Jinling Prefecture, Zhan San listened to the steward’s report, his handsome face turning deathly pale: "Is it true, really true? How could Uncle Xia be such a person?!"

When Xia Gu’s affair spread to Jinning Prefecture, his uncle and they simply couldn’t believe it. But with the second brother still ill, his uncle had to stay in the old home in Jinning to care for the second brother, so he could only send him here.

However, the scandal involving Uncle Xia was massive, and Zhan San was terrified that Uncle Xia’s deeds could implicate the Zhan Family. After arriving in Jinling Prefecture, he didn’t show himself, but hid in Zhan Family’s separate yard waiting for news.

But what he waited for instead was such shocking news.

Zhan San collapsed onto the couch with a thump, stammering: "How could it be true? That’s Xia Gu."

The steward of the separate yard said: "This old servant also couldn’t believe this is true, but Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San themselves stripped to show the scholars, and truly, there wasn’t a patch of unmarred flesh on them. The old servant, fearing the rumors were untrue, even asked the doctor who treated the old wounds of Elder Xia Er and Master Xia San, and the doctor’s words were not much different from the rumors, saying that the wounds were half an inch deep, and the pockmarked injuries on their bodies have been continuously added over the course of thirty years."

"Added continuously over thirty years?" Zhan San broke out in a cold sweat, not expecting Xia Gu to be such a person; his uncle had even taken them to meet Xia Gu. What if Xia Gu had intended to abuse them?

"Continue," ordered Zhan San after his fear subsided, instructing the steward to continue.

"Yes." The steward of the separate yard continued with the affairs of the Xia Family.

When he mentioned that after Xia Gu’s death, his wake was dismal with few visitors to mourn him, Zhan San lamented: "If it weren’t for the fear of tarnishing the Zhan Family’s reputation, I definitely would have paid my respects in person, having called him uncle for so many years."

The separate yard housekeeper scoffed upon hearing this. This Third Master was indeed a deceitful one, waiting until the Xia Family People had carried away the coffin before saying such things. Second Brother Gu was much better than him.

If Second Brother Gu had been here, he would have ignored the ridicule of others, gone to offer incense to Xia Gu, and sent him off on his final journey.

However, the separate yard housekeeper was just a servant and did not voice these thoughts; instead, he said: "Third Master, rest assured, I have already had a porter masquerade as a scholar to offer incense on behalf of the Zhan Family, which can be considered as sending off Xia Gu."

Upon hearing this, Zhan San praised: "Well done, go to the accounting room and claim a reward of twenty taels of silver."

The separate yard housekeeper was delighted and promptly knelt down to express gratitude: "This servant thanks Third Master."

Zhan San waved his hand, signaling the housekeeper to stand up, and then said: "Prepare the carriage. I must return home immediately; Uncle is still waiting for news at home."

"Yes." The separate yard housekeeper hurried to call for the carriage to be readied, and after bustling about for half an hour, Zhan San left with his close servant in the carriage.

Racing day and night to return to Jinning Prefecture, as soon as he entered the doors, Zhan San was grabbed by Old Master Zhan San and asked: "How is Brother Changyuan? People returning from Jinling say that after Brother Changyuan poisoned his wife, he took his own life with poison—is it true?"

Some scholars from Jinning Prefecture returned earlier than Zhan San and had already spread the news about Xia Gu. Old Master Zhan San was very anxious upon hearing this, wanting to write poems to denounce these people. Yet, fearing the rumours were true, he might end up causing the Zhan Family to be the subject of ridicule.

Because of his relationship with Xia Gu, scholars had already come to berate them in front of Zhan Mansion these past few days. He dared not even step out of his home.

Zhan San nodded: "The rumours are true."

He relayed the events of the Xia Family to Old Master Zhan San.

After listening, Old Master Zhan San nearly collapsed to the ground: "It’s true, it actually happened, that Lu..."

The matter of the Lu Family had to remain unsaid for now, and Old Master Zhan San stopped himself in time.

Zhan San, not being foolish, saw this and asked: "What was Uncle about to say?"

"Nothing. You’ve worked hard on this trip. Go and rest first. Avoid going out lately; if someone asks when you are out, just say that our family is merely acquainted with Xia Gu and the connection is not deep." Old Master Zhan San gave this instruction before hurrying to Zhan Er’s courtyard to inform him about the Xia Family matter.

Zhan Er was ill and needed to rest in bed for several months. After hearing that the Xia Family’s incident was true, he became so anxious that he grabbed Old Master Zhan San’s hand, saying: "Uncle, with Uncle Xia gone, what about my marriage to Sister Xiu? Who do we talk to now?"

Zhan Er was selfish. Despite feeling sad about Xia Gu’s death, what he worried about most was that, after the death of Xia Gu and his wife, he had no reason to visit Tianfu County to see Gu Jinxiu.

"Uncle, I must marry Sister Xiu, even if it kills me!" Fearing that Old Master Zhan San would find Gu Family’s daughter unsuitable after Xia Gu’s death, he clung to Old Master Zhan San, pleading: "Uncle, please do not disdain Sister Xiu. Help me—if I can’t marry her, your nephew will die from grief, cough cough!"

He spoke too hastily and was choked by his breath, repeatedly coughing.

Old Master Zhan San hurriedly said: "Xiao’er, don’t worry, even if Xia Gu is dead, the marriage with the Gu Family can still proceed."

He was even more eager than Xiao’er to form a marriage alliance with the Gu Family. After all, several of the Gu Family’s children were from Lu Family’s bloodline. Simply because Xia Gu was Brother Cheng’s teacher, he would not let Xiao’er miss the chance to marry Gu Family’s daughter.

Hearing this, Zhan Er was overjoyed: "Really?"

Old Master Zhan San nodded: "Really, Uncle will certainly help you fulfill your wish."

Yet he spoke too soon of this grand promise—by that very night, someone had barged into his courtyard.