Jun Jiuling

Chapter 173: Invitation to a Trap

Many people did not understand what had happened today, but they soon would.

The news spread not long after Concubine Su had killed herself.

It was said that Concubine Su had conspired to hurt Fang Chengyu's heir, and after her plot fell through she killed herself.

Without waiting for everyone to recover from their shock, the household went through another investigation to find her accomplices, and it once again descended into chaos.

Fang Yunxiu and Fang Yuxiu's courtyard was still surrounded by guards, but now the two had relaxed and returned to their room to speak.

"What's the reason for her doing this?" asked Fang Yuxiu.

"Concubine Su did not want the Fang Family to have a male heir, so she must have been gunning for the Fang Family's business. She could have made Jinxiu have someone to marry-in and continue the business," answered Fang Yunxiu.

Fang Yuxiu nodded.

"That is indeed possible."

Fang Yunxiu bit her lip.

"Second Sister, is this for real?" she asked.

Fang Yuxiu looked at her.

"What are you asking about, Eldest Sister?" she said.

Was it Lingzhi's pregnancy, or the miscarriage, or Concubine Su's evil intentions, or Jinxiu's complicitness. These issues were all tangled together right now.

Fang Yunxiu buried her face in her hands.

"Jinxiu couldn't have."

Because the one who had conspired against the heir was Concubine Su and Jinxiu was her biological daughter, it was quite ostensible that Concubine Su was acting for her child. Fang Jinxiu had also brought Liu'er to the scene and the blame had been pushed to her at first.

But thanks to Concubine Yuan's agility, the truth was exposed in time.

So Concubine Su killed herself, and Fang Jinxiu was shut away.

The room was silent.

Fang Yuxiu took stock of their surroundings. The three sisters lived together. These three connected rooms were the main area and the place where they studied or managed the family business.

Since they were not even taller than the table, they had sat here in their grandmother and mother's embrace and used old receipts as drawing paper. And up until now, they had met up with each other here. The three sisters had eaten and lived together as they grew up without separating.

It was hard to accept that now Fang Jinxiu was a villain who had conspired for the family inheritance

Fang Yuxiu sighed.

"Eldest Sister, you spoke true. Jinxiu couldn't have done it," she said.

Fang Yunxiu always took her words as truth, so she was immediately relieved.

"Grandmother and Mother will believe in Jinxiu," she said.

Fang Yuxiu sighed again.

"Eldest Sister, right now it's not a matter of who believes in who," she said. "Right now, she has a crime attached to her name just because of whose daughter she is."

Although they still did not have the full details of the situation, they knew for certain that Concubine Su was a criminal.

And Fang Jinxiu was her biological daughter. She had to be dealt with.

As for Fang Jinxiu who was the daughter of the Fang Family, Concubine Su was a loathed criminal. But as Fang Jinxiu who carried the blood of Concubine Su in her veins, she definitely could not do anything.

"Perhaps it would be even more straightforward if she was a conspirator," mumbled Fang Yuxiu.

This subject was too serious. Fang Yunxiu looked outside.

"I wonder how Grandmother and Mother are faring," she muttered.

Although the matter had spread, the household was still under control. Besides the capture of Concubine Su's accomplices, no one was allowed to move about freely.

Of course, 'no one' did not include Head Shopkeeper Song.

The moment it happened, he had learned of it.

"Something has happened. Old Lady requested Second Old Master to come," reported in someone.

Head Shopkeeper Song looked surprised. He put down his tea and ledger.

"What happened?" he asked.

The one who had come paused.

"You will know when you see, Second Old Master," he said. "It really is huge."

At this, he looked around furtively, then said quietly.

"Old Lady doesn't want it said outside."

Head Shopkeeper Song frowned. He made a helpless face as he stood up.

"Okay, I got it. You go back first; I will go and change," he said.

The Fang Family subordinate thanked him profusely, then watched him walk into his rooms before leaving.

Second Old Master was a good person. Even if he didn't know what was wrong, he would immediately come when there were summons.

When Head Shopkeeper Song stepped into his chambers, the servant girl following him did not immediately remove his clothes. Rather she stood in place, her eyes lowered and not moving. Anyway, Head Shopkeeper Song directly entered the bathroom.

Without lingering there, he pushed aside a wooden cabinet and walked into another room.

There were five or six men waiting there.

"Master, you can't go," said one of the men anxiously.

Head Shopkeeper Song slapped him.

"You stupid pieces of trash!" he raged, pointing at them.

The beaten man blushed and did not speak. The others lowered their heads.

He paced around the room, muttering curses. If Old Lady Fang was present, she would have seen that the Yangcheng native Song Yunping was actually cursing with mixed Shandong vernacular.

Head Shopkeeper Song stopped after he was finished venting, his expression dark and intense.

"How did Su Qi die?" he asked.

He was not concerned, of course, about how Concubine Su had died, whether she had been abused before she died or what sorrows and suffering she must have faced.

The people here knew that what he cared about was what Concubine Su had said.

"She took the medicine and killed herself," said one of them. "She only admitted that it was her doing; she didn't say anything else."

"Yes, right now all the Fang Family knows is that Concubine Su coveted the Fang Family's wealth, and she wanted her daughter to monopolize it, so she carried out this plan," added another man hastily.

It was a reasonable motive.

He was not done speaking when Head Shopkeeper Song kicked him.

"All the Fang Family knows, all the Fang Family knows, all the Fang Family knows that Fang Chengyu was abandoned by Old Lady Fang, all the Fang Family knows that Lingzhi was pregnant, and what of it? All the Fang Family knows, all the Fang Family fucking knows is that we are idiots," he said vehemently. "How could they believe that story."

The men in the room lowered their heads again and did not dare speak.

Head Shopkeeper Song stopped in his pacing again.

"Prepare a carriage," he barked.

The people in the room tried to stop him again.

"Master, you can't go to the Fang Family right now," everyone said. "It's too dangerous; they might have set a trap."

Head Shopkeeper Song smiled coldly but with rage behind it.

"A trap? The Fang residence is a dragon's den and tiger's lair that I can freely enter and leave," he said. "Not only do they not threaten me, but they think of me as benevolent."

At this, he raised his arm.

"Gather everyone; I am going to the Fang Family."

"It's not that we're scared of them. We're just afraid that what will happen will be unsightly," said one brave man hesitantly.

"Who cares whether its unsightly or not. I don't want to see them," he declared with fury. "The woman that should have died actually dared play such a trick before my eyes. I cannot let them get too comfortable."

No one dared move.

"Okay, it's fine. Although everyone in the inside is useless, we still have our people outside," said one man in a low voice. "When it's time, surround the Fang Family. With their broken wings, they cannot escape our grasp."

Head Shopkeeper Song walked back to his quarters with a black face. The silently waiting servant girl stepped forward and gave him a change of clothes.

When he returned to his inner chambers, his stoic facade was back on. The carriage had been prepared. He had just sat down when someone came rushing forward.

"Master, we found where Young Master Fang is," he said.

He raised a brow.

"Is this from the Fang Family?" he asked coldly.

He shook his head in embarrassment.

"No, no, we found it on our own," he answered.

Really? Not earlier or later, but now they found it.

Head Shopkeeper Song twirled his beard thoughtfully.

"Did you see them with your own eyes?" he asked. "Don't let it be like last time, only hearing a voice through the door and mistaking Third Miss for Young Lady Fang."

The man flushed with shame. But he raised his head resolutely.

"This time it's for real. When they were changing locations and got into the carriage we saw them clearly," he said quietly.

The head shopkeeper’s expression morphed, but he did not speak.

"Master, where are we going?" the man asked quietly.

Head Shopkeeper Song smiled coldly.

"Of course, I'm going to where the lifeblood of the Fang Family is," he said. "Since it's all a trap, then I will make it one worth jumping into."