Actually, he couldn’t say that it was unfamiliar.

Fang Chengyu had lived with his mother since he was young. When he was five years old, he wanted to move to a separate courtyard but got sick. Lady Fang looked after him herself, so he lived with her until he was ten.

When he was ten, he moved to his own courtyard, and since then four years had passed.

He turned his head away from the bed.

There were only two lanterns in the room, but they were dazzling to the eye.

“Chengyu, are you awake?” Lady Fang, much to her delight, saw him awake.

Fang Chengyu did not have the strength to speak. He could only look at his mother and give her a consoling smile.

“It’s fine, don’t move,” she answered. “Do you want to drink some water?”

She picked up a warm cup of water from the table next to the bed, dipped some cloth, and slowly dripped water onto his pale lips.

She hadn’t personally taken care of her son like this for just more then three years; she was still extremely practiced.

Had they all been moved here?

Fang Chengyu turned his line of sight outwards. There were only two servant girls in the room.

This shouldn’t be. At this time, they needed to get rid of them, as indicative of Jun Zhenzhen’s punishment and anger.

Lady Fang followed his gaze.

“Lingzhi is here too. I locked her away, in our courtyard,” she said gently, rubbing his forehead. “Don’t worry.”

Her son had never liked many things. Since he had something he liked, his mother would protect it well.

A small smile alighted on his face, and he shut his eyes.

As expected it hurt a lot. When he thought of something that was comparably painful, he thought of her medicinal baths.

Night had fallen, and the Fang Family manor was definitely not quiet, but that did not affect Miss Jun.

Miss Jun had been put under house arrest. Of course, whether she would comply was another matter, but the servants avoided that area unlike ever before.

Though the courtyard had the light of the lanterns, there was still a certain coldness about it.

“If they dare bully my young miss, then I will report them to the government office.”

In the room, Liu’er was fuming as she made the bed.

Miss Jun had already washed up. While she was drying her hair, she listened to Liu’er grumble.

“Master devoted his all for the country and the citizens. They are just merchants and bully an orphan girl like Young Miss. That is just too unloyal, too unfilial,” she continued.

This is what Jun Zhenzhen had always believed in.

Most likely, she felt that it was too unfair. Why did she have to become an orphan? Why did she, a bureaucratic family’s Young Miss, fall so low as to rely on her merchant family’s maternal grandmother for her living?

Only knowing a life cast of iron and riches, who knows the number of lives [1].

Jun Zhenzhen was just a lowly girl of a provincial official. She was a noble related to the imperial family; she never thought she would be here one day.

When she had not known the truth, father and mother died. Although it was sad, she thought it was the will of Heaven.

Afterwards, the emperor said that she would be married to Lu Yunqi. Big Sister was very worried, whether or not he was a good person or not.

She hadn’t imagined that after being married, Lu Yunqi would be extremely good and respectful to her. There was nothing to be picked on.

Even if she thought about it now, she couldn’t find a single fault.

Miss Jun lowered her head, looking at her silky hair hanging in front of her.

That day she had fooled him and gone out into the palace, carrying only a knife on her person. When it happened, when her mind had descended into darkness in the face of death, she had almost seemed to hear his voice.

He still followed after her.

She didn’t know if he had time to arm himself, or could claim the credit, or if he had to make up for his failings.

For a moment, those painful, sorrowful feelings filled her heart. She suddenly felt a chill, like the wind blowing on one’s back when it was soaked with sweat.

“Young Miss, your hair is dry now. You should sleep early,” advised Liu’er.

She had been the one to set up the brazier for drying her hair.

Miss Jun smiled at Liu’er.

“You should sleep too. Rest well; we will need our strength,” she said.

Liu’er nodded.

“Yes. We aren’t scared of them,” she said self-righteously.

Miss Jun patted her head.

“Yes, we are not afraid,” she said.

………

The Fang Family had cleared out a swathe of servants. Because these people had critciized their masters, recklessly spread rumors,they were bundled up into several carriages and sent away.

Because there were too many people involved, naturally, it would alarm the people watching the Fang Family.

“Tens of them were ours that we secretly planted. Could it be as simple as a coincidence?”

In a tiny tea room, there were two people sitting behind a screen, pouring tea while talking.

“If it’s a punishment, then selling them is enough. Why are they being sequestered away? It shouldn’t be that they are killing them in a hidden location.”

The person pouring the tea smiled at this.

“How could they sell them? Unless they cut off their tongues first, the scandal of the Fang Family will spread,” he said.

Speaking of the Fang Family.

“It’s just quite pitiable, that a whole family is about to walk out of the fire into hell.” The first person sighed.

The tearoom was silent for a moment, followed by explosive laughter.

“It really is too funny,” said one person. “The sad thing is, this time Young master Fang does not have much time left; we can’t play with him for much longer.”

The other one shook his head.

“Don’t be too hasty. When the young master is no more, we’ll still have the young misses,” he said. “Three of them. Enough people to put through endless torment. Compared to the cripple young master, these cute young misses will definitely be much more fun to play with.”

Hearing talk involving the sweet misses, the person who said it and the person who heard it felt complicated.

Then the tearoom broke into peals of laughter again.

“Did you confirm that the cripple can’t be saved?”

“Yes, no one can lie before Imperial Physician Jiang’s eyes.” The person who spoke laughed. “He has two to three months.”

“That’s good.” The speaker stood up. “Looks like we can have another two to three months of fun with the Fang Family.”

The other person did not stand up.

This person went around the screen, bringing up his large hood to obscure his face. He opened the door and looked left and right before going out.

Not long after he left, an employee came with some tea.

“Master, do you still want some tea?” he asked respectfully of the figure seated behind the screen.

The person behind the screen grunted in confirmation.

The employee hurried to carry the tea forward. Sunlight filtered in through the bamboo screen, painting a strip of sun along the old man sitting by the window.

His expression was serene, with a stiffness that came from confidence. It was Head Shopkeeper Song.

The employee was about to pour the tea, when Head Shopkeeper Song suddenly lifted up a hadn.

“What tea is this?” he asked.

“Master, this a top-rate, new tea…” said the employee.

“It’s too expensive. Swap it out for an ordinary tea,” said Head Shopkeeper Song. “Discussing matters of business does not need this good of a tea.”

The employee did not know whether to laugh or cry.

“Master, you are the one drinking it,” he said.

Head Shopkeeper Song serenely shook his head.

“That is not a good reason. I must remember the exchange firm accounts,” he said.

The De Sheng Chang had to entertain rich and powerful customers. In the city, they had set up a running bill with the most famous teahouses and wine shops. The managers and shopkeepers could set up business functions there.

The De Sheng Chang also did not strictly check whether they were using the funds for their own amusement or not.

Even if they had, it would not be much to the De Sheng Chang.

But as the number two of the De Sheng Chang, Head Shopkeeper Song made this distinction clear.

The employee had obviously heard of Head Shopkeeper Song’s rules before. He smiled helplessly.

“I will go and get you some ordinary tea,” he said.

Head Shopkeeper Song nodded.

“Wait on the guests, and then change it out for me,” he reminded.

The shopkeeper smiled and retreated.

“Master Song really is…” He shook his head outside the gate, muttering to himself.

………

“What kind of person is Song Yunping?”

At the present, Miss Jun was asking this of Old Lady Fang.

At the mention of this person, Old Lady Fang’s expression became complicated, both sorrowful and pained.

“He is a very severe person,” she said. “This severity is not towards others but himself.

“You know he is the De Sheng Chang’s head shopkeeper, but none of his children or descendants are involved in the De Sheng Chang business,” said Old Lady Fang.

Everyone struggles hard not just for their own lives, but also for their descendants.

How many people, unrelated to the De Sheng Chang, would struggle to get their kids into the business?

And Song Yunping, the man closest to the business, not only did not take any of the moonlight, but instead chased his children away.

[1] Only knowing a life cast of iron and riches, who knows the number of lives: a quote from a Chinese song