"The Horse Gang and the Riverboat Gang collaborated to transport salt. Princess Lian secretly caused trouble, making everyone suffer unjust accusations. The Riverboat Gang colluded with corrupt officials and controlled the waterways. They were at the height of their power."
"The imperial court turned a blind eye in order to continue the transportation of official salt. They didn't want to dig deeper into the origins of the so - called boatmen. Helpless, the master had no choice but to lie low for the time being. He ordered Uncle Zheng to secretly preserve the strength of the Horse Gang and wait for a better day."
"Now, the time is ripe. The young master has taken over the bank. As long as we present the master as the bandit leader in the old Riverboat Gang case and send him to the capital to surrender, the Horse Gang can completely wash away their grievances and rise again together with the bank."
Li Ying waved and called Du Zhong over. She said in a low voice, "If I'm not mistaken, the master's health has been deteriorating and he is terminally ill. I'm afraid it's also Princess Lian's doing behind the scenes, right?"
Princess Lian had been in love with the master for many years. She had witnessed his glory and charisma. Even though she finally became his second wife through scheming, she might not feel at ease in her heart.
So, she secretly protected the Riverboat Gang and tightly controlled the water - way transportation of the Peace Bank to hold the master back and make sure he was cautious.
She served the master attentively and coaxed him to take tonics every day with gentle words.
Li Ying couldn't figure out why the master's health had been so depleted like an endless pit. But when she heard Princess Lian's words "in the underworld", she instantly understood.
Every medicine has some toxicity. In ancient times, when people made pills, they used a large amount of cinnabar, mercury and lead powder. Doctors might not detect any problems at first.
But the master had taken too much of these over the years. These heavy metals had accumulated in his body. Even if he had an iron - like body, it would have collapsed long ago.
He knew his days were numbered, so he simply let Princess Lian do whatever she wanted. He risked his own life to make her over - confident and finally expose her flaws.
"The master has already put his own life at stake. He just wants to sacrifice himself to give the Horse Gang and the bank a chance to rise from the ashes."
After Li Ying finished speaking, she respectfully bowed to the master, stood beside him with her hands down and gently supported Lu Xunguang.
The members of the Horse Gang stared blankly at the master and Zheng Ji. It took them a long time to come to their senses. They knelt down on the ground in admiration.
"Master, you are so noble - minded!"
"We in the Horse Gang will never do such a thing as betraying our master for glory. Master, you must not throw yourself into the net. Please take good care of your health!"
"Brothers will do our best to assist the new master!"
"Greetings to the young master!"
The master leaned lazily in his cloak and pushed Lu Xunguang.
Lu Xunguang held the order token of the Lu family head and the order token of the Horse Gang leader. His expression was hard to read.
When everyone was half - drunk, they dispersed one by one. Li Ying cleaned up the tables and chairs, but couldn't find Lu Xunguang.
A Man lowered her voice and quietly told her that Lu Xunguang had left early with a straight face. He climbed onto the roof beam alone, looking preoccupied.
Li Ying understood. She got up, took two flasks of wine, and quietly climbed up the bamboo ladder. She sat beside him.
"Let me guess. You must be in a complete mess because of the master, right?"
She handed the wine to Lu Xunguang and smiled faintly.
Lu Xunguang took a big gulp of the wine but didn't say a word.
Li Ying continued, "The master has always been very strict with you. He also abandoned his first wife and favored Princess Lian. Even though you know he was just pretending, there must still be a knot in your heart, right?"
Lu Xunguang finally nodded.
Li Ying drank with him. Then she said softly, "Parents who love their children always plan far ahead for them. Master wants to take all the blame on himself. If he had a close relationship with you, once he was ruined, you would surely be implicated."
"He deliberately suppressed and criticized you so that everyone in the world knew that the master of the Peace Bank was so infatuated with a woman that he even turned against his only son. Only in this way could you stay out of it and take over the Lu family cleanly after his downfall."
"However, this method is really harsh. You've suffered a lot all these years. I understand."
Li Ying gently held his hand. In the night wind, his knuckles were slightly cold and trembling, which showed how turbulent his heart was.
"Lu Lang, I know you have some grudges against the master because of Princess Lian. But he has always been thinking about you. He is not a shallow man who is only interested in women. There should be no overnight feud between father and son. He is dying. You should give him a chance to explain everything clearly."
Seeing Lu Xunguang's expression soften a little, Li Ying pushed a food box towards him and said, "The master hardly ate anything at the banquet tonight. He must be very hungry now. You can take this food box to him and ask all your questions at once."
Lu Xunguang hesitated for a moment. Since he couldn't decline, he had to nod in agreement.
The master seemed to have anticipated his arrival. On the purple bamboo table in front of him, there was a tea set. Opposite him, a cup of jasmine tea was steaming.
"You're here?"
He raised his eyebrows and pushed the teacup towards Lu Xunguang.
"It's late at night and the dew is heavy. Have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up before you say anything."
Lu Xunguang recognized that this tea was the jasmine longhao that his mother had loved most. His heart warmed.
He bowed stiffly and sat down. He opened the food box, and there were two big bowls inside.
The white rice smelled fragrant. On top of it was tender chicken. The scallions were stir - fried to be sweet with a slight spiciness. Seasoned with soy sauce and pepper, and then topped with a layer of smooth eggs, it was golden in color. Every mouthful of the meat and rice was wrapped in the melt - in - the - mouth egg liquid. It was extremely soft and delicious.
After placing the two bowls of donburi in front of them, there was a note under the food box.
"The chicken represents the father, and the egg represents the son. Chicken and egg donburi is also called parent - child donburi. The father hugs the son, and the son depends on the father. Father and son support each other and are inseparable."
This note was obviously written by Li Ying.
The master laughed. "Your beloved is really interesting."
He scooped up a spoonful with a spoon and chewed it carefully. He felt that every grain of rice was chewy and smelled fragrant. The chicken leg meat was tender and juicy, complementing the smooth eggs perfectly. Although it was just a simple donburi, it made him feel completely comfortable.
Because of the tonics Princess Lian had given him, his spleen and stomach were weak and he had hardly been able to eat anything. But he ate most of this parent - child donburi with the hot tea.
Father and son understood each other without words. After the meal, the master looked up and carefully sized up his only son whom he hadn't seen for many days. He said in a low voice, "You came today because of Princess Lian and your mother, right?"
Lu Xunguang hung his head and didn't say a word. He just straightened his back like a poplar tree.
"You only know that I married Princess Lian soon after your mother passed away. But do you know that all this was your mother's arrangement?"
Lu Xunguang looked up in surprise. The master's expression was calm and composed.
"A Xun, I really feel guilty for not being a good father to you. But I have a clear conscience towards your mother. This was the best choice."
The master's words were firm. Outside the window, the wind suddenly picked up. A mountain rain was coming.