Chapter Ninety-Four: Chaos Upon Chaos

Chapter Ninety-Four: Chaos Upon Chaos

Sun Zhiye's gaze was icy, sweeping over the trembling, cautious servants around him.

Under his gaze, the servants fled like startled rabbits. However, before they could get far, a thunderous roar came from the room: "You disobedient son!"

"Disobedient son!"

The servants paused, then quickened their pace, distancing themselves from the main courtyard.

The eldest son, known for his good reputation, was considered unfilial by Old Master Sun and Madam Sun.

Sun Zhiye stepped on the crimson bronze mirror and tore off the talismans from the doors and windows. "Have you lost your mind?"

"If you're tired of living in luxury, just say the word, and I'll make it happen."

"Why court death!"

Sun Zhiye's expression was calm.

These venomous words seemed to come from someone else.

Madam Sun trembled like a leaf. Sun Zhiye stripped away her maternal dignity, throwing it to the ground and trampling it.

"If I had known you'd be so unfilial, I never would have had you. Even if I had, I should have drowned you at birth."

Madam Sun shook with anger, her eyes bloodshot.

Yet, she kept glancing behind Sun Zhiye out of the corner of her eye, fearing eerie sounds from the dark night.

So, without realizing it, her resolve weakened.

"Madam!" Old Master Sun sharply stopped her.

Sun Zhiye sneered, "I'm not as filial as my younger brother, naturally."

The night wind howled, and his laughter sounded eerie.

Madam Sun suddenly shivered, shrinking into the carved wooden chair, gripping the talisman tightly.

Sun Zhiye waved his hand, closing the door with a heavy, cold sound. "Whose idea was it to have someone perform rituals in the street today?"

"It was your mother," Old Master Sun replied without hesitation.

Madam Sun: ...

If it was her, so be it. She was terrified.

Sun Zhiye's face was full of mockery. "Never mind, this question is pointless."

"With all this fuss, rumors of the Sun family being haunted have spread throughout Changhe County. In a few days, neighboring counties will hear of it."

"Business partners of the Sun family will start canceling their contracts."

"The Sun family will suffer."

Madam Sun stiffened her neck. "But it's true, there are ghosts."

"Zhiye, you heard it too, didn't you?"

Sun Zhiye sneered, "If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear."

Madam Sun stammered in a low voice, "It’s because we’ve done wrong that we’re so scared."

"You’ve been the celebrated Jade String Gentleman for so long, Zhiye. Have you forgotten how the Sun family made its fortune? Don’t forget where you came from."

During the famine, they hoarded grain and sold it at sky-high prices, making a fortune off the nation’s suffering while countless people starved.

Sun Zhiye was both furious and amused. How dare they lecture him?

When you’re not on the same page, even a few words are too many. "Do you have any idea how much I’ve sacrificed to grow the Sun family’s business?"

"I was practically groveling at the feet of those high-and-mighty merchants for scraps of help!"

"Keeping the family business thriving isn’t easy. I don’t mind carrying dead weight, but I won’t tolerate fools who only mess things up."

"The Jade String Gentleman title you’re so proud of just gives those people more ammunition to humiliate me."

"Didn’t you scheme to build the Jade String Gentleman’s reputation yourself?" Madam Sun retorted softly, unconvinced.

Sun Zhiye glanced at her, "If you’re so scared of vengeful ghosts, why not retire to the countryside estate and live in peace?"

"You’re leaving tomorrow."

"Take Qu Ying with you when you leave."

"I’ve already announced that Qu Ying is my younger brother’s fiancée, arranged by Mother, and the marriage contract is settled. Mother, get the marriage contract finalized quickly to stop any rumors."

"You’re throwing your father and me out?" Madam Sun looked incredulous.

In her extreme surprise, her fear lessened somewhat.

She jumped down from the carved wooden chair and pointed at Sun Zhiye’s nose, "I raised you from nothing..."

"Mother," Sun Zhiye brushed off Madam Sun’s hand, "I’ve heard this a thousand times."

"Zhiye," Old Master Sun, who had the ability to become invisible during conflicts, finally spoke up when his own interests were involved, "This is completely out of line."

"Your father and I are too old to handle the countryside estate’s hardships."

"Father, this isn’t up for discussion—I’m telling you. You’re old, but you’ve still got a knack for stirring up trouble. The countryside estate is big and quiet—perfect for you."

Otherwise, he feared that one day, when his patience snapped, he might kill them himself.

Every step he took was a struggle, and anyone in his way deserved to die.

Old Master Sun felt a chill in his heart and grabbed his wife, who was about to continue her tirade, and then said, "How long do we have to stay there?"

His eldest son wanted to kill him!

Sun Zhiye said coldly, "You’ll come back when I say so."

"Pack your bags. I’ll send someone to take you away early tomorrow morning."

"Remember the marriage contract for my younger brother and Qu Ying."

The night grew deeper.

Outside the quiet Sun residence, the knocking started again.

Coughs echoed through the deep courtyards of the various compounds.

Madam Sun immediately stopped her wailing, wrapping herself in the quilt, not daring to make a sound.

At that moment, Madam Sun thought that moving to the countryside estate might not be so bad; as things stood, she would be scared to death sooner or later.

The next day.

Qu Ying didn't leave.

She gathered her courage and climbed into Sun Zhiye's bed.

Although nothing happened, the fact that a man and a woman were alone together in a room, and were caught by the servants, was hard to ignore.

Last night.

Sun Zhiye, emotionally out of control and exhausted, drank himself into a drunken stupor.

Either bear the shame of a brother stealing his younger brother's fiancée, or kill Qu Ying and all those who witnessed the event, completely erasing what happened last night.

Sun Zhiye was leaning towards the latter.

But he vaguely felt as if there were eyes watching him from the shadows, waiting for him to panic and make a wrong move.

Sun Zhiye raised his hand and grabbed Qu Ying by the neck, veins bulging at his temples, a fierce aura emanating, his eyes dark and sinister, the red veins almost covering his entire eyeballs.

Qu Ying's face turned red from lack of air, tears streaming down, her hands flailing, trying to push Sun Zhiye away.

Sun Zhiye showed no sympathy, while his personal servant boys, Tiandong and Chuanbai, knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly, not daring to utter a word of plea.

Bloodstains were scattered on the floor.

As Qu Ying's struggles weakened, Sun Zhiye suddenly let her go.

Qu Ying gasped greedily and frantically, her voice hoarse, "I won't do it again, I won't do it again."

She didn't want to be a concubine to the second young master of the Sun family, nor did she want to suffer on the countryside estate.

Qinghe said, "To be reborn from a desperate situation, it's worth a gamble."

Qinghe was the maid she brought from the Qu family, clever and sweet-talking, and most to her liking.

Originally, she just wanted to give it a try.

But she never expected it to go so well.

Tiandong didn't enter the elder cousin's bedroom as usual, and the bedroom reeked of alcohol, while Chuanbai slept soundly by the leg of the table at the corner of the screen, completely unaware of her entry.

She instructed Qinghe to find a way to alert the servants of Fuguang Courtyard at dawn, then she removed her outer garment and lay down in the same bed as her elder cousin.

"The right time, the right place, and the right people."