Chapter 225: Sending a Grand Gift

The man took those words unchanged and brought them before Grand Tutor Qin.

"Sir, that person's martial skill is extremely high, and… in the blink of an eye she wiped out those guards completely, not even a corpse could be found, no trace of corpse‑dissolving powder on the ground, and… and the weapons, the weapons are gone too." He swallowed, his eyes full of terror: "It's like… it's like…"

The words circled in his mouth for a few rounds but never came out.

Grand Tutor Qin looked at his expression and said in a deep voice, "Like what?"

"Like a ghost or deity."

Ghosts and deities…

Again, ghosts and deities…

Since the Bai family was wiped out, rumors of ghosts and deities have occasionally spread through Jingcheng.

"Useless, can't even handle this small matter."

The man lowered his head, not daring to speak.

"Get out!"

"Yes."

Grand Tutor Qin sat alone in his study, his face ashen.

"A grand gift? I'd like to see what grand gift you can bring me."

At that moment, a sound came from the window; a man in a black robe slowly stepped out from behind a screen.

"What are you doing here?" Grand Tutor Qin gave the black‑robed man a cold glance and said coldly, "Still think Jingcheng isn't chaotic enough?"

"Heh, I heard you ran into a problem, so I came to take a look. It seems the problem is rather big now!"

"You still have the nerve to blame me? Your Seek Dragon Gate has so many people, yet you can't even figure out the little incident in Liangzhou City. The epidemic was cured, and yet you couldn't stop the Chi family, letting that old fool Chi Zhongshan into Jingcheng. If the events of those years are brought up again, we both might suffer."

"Hehe." The black‑robed man gave a faint laugh: "So many years have passed, yet you're still so cowardly? That incident happened long ago; looking for evidence is a pipe‑dream. We of Seek Dragon Gate fear nothing; what are you afraid of?" His eyes beneath the hat, half‑smiling, stared at him: "If you're truly terrified and impatient, why not have your daughter devise a way to poison the Emperor, so that when the Crown Prince ascends, who will bring up the past?"

"Silence!" Grand Tutor Qin frowned tightly: "Stop spouting nonsense! The realm and its foundations are not a child's play."

The black‑robed man heard him and a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Mr. Qin, you don't still think you're a loyal minister of Daqi, do you?"

"I have always been loyal to the court, loyal to the Emperor!"

Hearing that, the black‑robed man couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Loyal to the court? Loyal to the Emperor?" He restrained his smile, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes: "What you did to the Bai family and the Situ family back then means you have no hope of returning in this life; you and we are of the same kind."

"You shut up!" Grand Tutor Qin slammed both hands heavily on the table, his face turning a bruised blue.

The two locked eyes, neither blinking first; veins rose on Grand Tutor Qin's neck, his eyes full of anger.

"You needn't feel resentful; I'm speaking the truth." The black‑robed man said calmly: "What you want is for the Qin family name to go down in history, your daughter to sit securely on the throne, eventually become Empress Dowager, support a puppet to ascend, and then the Qin family can dominate the court, control the entire administration. No matter the means, as long as the goal is achieved, isn't that enough?" He stood up and said lightly, "History has always been written by the victors."

Before leaving, the black‑robed man turned his back to him and warned, "That Southern First Young Master must never be underestimated; to untangle the scheme I've plotted for years in such a short time, she's no ordinary person!"

The black‑robed man was gone for a long while, and Grand Tutor Qin still sat in the study chair.

"Result… yes! As long as the result is right, isn't that enough?"

Night fell, and Chi Nan Yi, dressed in night‑clothing, arrived at the back gate of the Qin family.

With a light leap, she vaulted inside.

The Qin family is the Grand Tutor's mansion and also the Empress's natal family, so naturally their household is vast.

But in the back courtyard, Chi Nan Yi had to circle a few times before figuring it out.

"The back of the Qin family is like a maze; it's exhausting, auntie."

Passing through a garden, there were several residences.

From inside came a woman's coquettish laugh.

"Young master, what are you doing?" a woman said coquettishly: "I thought you'd never come to see me again, leaving me heartbroken for a long time. The sisters of Zui Xin Fang tease me, saying the young master has abandoned me."

"How could that be? Young master, didn't I just finish my business and then bring you here?"

Chi Nan Yi raised an eyebrow.

Is this person the Qin family's eldest son, Qin Xu?

Grand Tutor Qin has a son and a daughter.

His son is the Assistant Minister of Works, and everyone usually calls him a gentleman of integrity, never expecting him to be so intimate with a courtesan from Zui Xin Fang.

One must know that Zui Xin Fang is the largest brothel in Jingcheng; the court has repeatedly ordered officials not to go to such lewd places, yet the Qin family's young master not only consorts with the courtesan but also brings her back to the mansion.

If this spreads, the Qin family would become the laughingstock of the entire Jingcheng.

At this moment, only a young servant stood outside Qin Xu's courtyard, likely a messenger.

The corridor was dim; Chi Nan Yi slipped through, darted into an outer chamber, and saw clothes strewn on the floor, one of the discarded garments embroidered with the character Qin. She gathered the garment and the woman's under‑garment into her space and turned to leave.

She wandered inside the mansion for a while, deftly evading all the guards, and finally located the warehouse.

Outside the warehouse, a few guard soldiers were on duty; she took out a packet of medicinal powder and scattered it. The powder was inhaled, and the guards' gazes grew hazy; though their bodies remained standing and eyes open, their consciousness had already faded.

Chi Nan Yi swaggered almost theatrically into the interior, and no one stopped her.

She pulled out two Silver Needles, tapped them twice, and the storage lock clicked open.

Chi Nan Yi had expected the storage to be piled with gold, silver, and jewels, but upon entering she was stunned.

The huge storage contained only a dozen or so boxes; the gold and silver inside were scant, and about half of the boxes were empty.

"Grand Tutor Qin, that old fox, is truly cunning." She inspected the storage for a while, confirming there were no traps.

"Could it be hidden elsewhere?"

Chi Nan Yi couldn't help recalling the treasure she had retrieved from the Empress's Hall, and felt a stir.

Could it be that…

Chi Nan Yi left the storage and hurried toward Grand Tutor Qin's chamber.

It was now deep night, and the entire Grand Tutor's mansion had quieted.

Grand Tutor Qin was asleep, but uneasy; Chi Nan Yi sprinkled a handful of medicinal powder.

Old fox, this time I'll make sure you sleep until tomorrow morning.

She turned around in the room, her gaze falling on the incense burner placed on the desk.

Clearly it's an incense burner, yet there isn't even a speck of ash left inside.

Gently turning the incense burner, the bookshelf instantly opened to both sides.

A warehouse the size of the room appeared before Chi Nan Yi's eyes.

Sure enough, father and daughter, their methods of hiding things are exactly the same.

Chi Nan Yi looked at the warehouse full of good things, the corners of her mouth slightly lifting.

How greedy! I thought Meng Hui was already greedy enough, but I didn't expect him to be the ancestor of corrupt officials.

In the huge warehouse, just the gold alone filled fifty or sixty boxes.

The silver was countless.

Night pearls, eastern pearls, too many to count.

Even the national treasury would be just like this! The Qin family truly is rich enough to rival a country!

Chi Nan Yi waved her arm, laughing as she said: "Grandma said she'd give you a big gift; now it's surely going to be fulfilled."