Chapter 399
Qin Hengxuan looked closely at Meng Ruqing and saw that he truly seemed fine. Relieved, he crouched down and asked playfully: "Grandpa can't. But—has your father actually ever fought a ghost?"
"For real! Guaizai never lies!" Guaizai said very seriously. "That time, a ghost tried to bite Guaizai on the butt and the face. Father chased it away! Father protected Guaizai. Father's the best! Grandpa, you're so big but you can't even fight ghosts—what are gonna do? How are you gonna protect Pretty Uncle? Aiyah! Guaizai gotta figure something out."
During the days he stayed at the Qin residence, whenever he mentioned Fang Zichen, he'd brag endlessly—not only could he fight ghosts, but he could also make all sorts of things, and he'd even flown through the sky before. He made it sound like Fang Zichen could do just about anything—soar to the heavens and dive into the earth.
The Qin family took it as childish talk. But later, when they saw how impressive Guaizai's physical skills were, they asked about it. Guaizai said his father had taught him—they hadn't hired any master because that cost money, and they didn't have any.
He loved to boast, but he never told lies.
So the Qin family thought: Guaizai might not have been exaggerating after all—this man really does have some skill, to raise a child like that.
Later on, that same man passed all six rounds of the imperial exams with top marks in every single one, earning the title of zhuangyuan.
The Qin family: This kid's good at both civil and martial arts? Impressive!
And now—hearing about the chemical fertilizer, the mountain blasting, the bandit suppression, and those roads...
The Qin family: Guaizai really wasn't just blowing hot air back then.
Old General Qin had the common affliction of military men—he loathed all that fussy scholarly stuff. If anyone tried to show off their erudition in front of him, he'd throw a punch straight at them. But he had to admit, he did have a certain respect for that kind of people.
The things he couldn't wrap his head around—others could, and they did them well. Wasn't that something worth respecting?
Old General Qin said: "I wonder which family's son that is. He really is something."
Old Madam Qin had looked into it: "I heard he came from overseas."
"Is that so?" Old General Qin said. "That family's ancestral graves must have been struck by lightning to produce someone that formidable—ordinary ancestral smoke just wouldn't cut it."
Old Madam Qin laughed: "You're just sour! Now, you're getting on in years—be careful on your next campaign. The rear is in good hands with me and Qing Ger and the others. Don't worry."
"I know."
Qin Hengxuan hesitated, looking at his younger brother, who had been silent ever since returning from battle.
"Father, what's wrong with Hengyi?"
What was wrong with Qin Hengyi? Old General Qin shook his head—he wasn't sure himself.
Though Qin Hengyi's mind was no longer clear, like a child's, he spent his days wanting only to play and to find Yizhi. Yizhi hadn't originally been called Yizhi—his name had been Yizhi—but after he came to be with Qin Hengyi, the name was changed.
[The original name 意之 (Yìzhī) means "of intention" or "of meaning"; the changed name 逸之 (Yìzhī) means "of leisure" or "of ease."]
When Qin Hengyi wasn't fussing to find someone, his mouth chattered nonstop. But his martial skills had been trained from childhood and were etched into his bones—they hadn't faded with his memories, and were still there.
Last time Old General Qin took him along to battle, but when they returned two days ago, Qin Hengyi seemed to have been shocked by something. He changed completely, falling silent and refusing to speak a word.
Qin Hengxuan was worried. He opened his mouth to say something, but Old General Qin sighed first: "It's late. You all go back for now."
"Father—"
Old General Qin's tone grew firm: "Go back!"
Qin Hengxuan's throat moved as he glanced at Old Madam Qin. Seeing her give a slight shake of her head, he could only sigh and lead Meng Ruqing and Qin Hengyi away.
The tent fell quiet. Old Madam Qin sat down at the edge of the couch, hesitated for a long while, and finally, unable to bear her son's suffering, said: "Hengyi isn't what he used to be. Why not keep him in the rear next time?"
With Qin Hengyi in a state like a child of five or six, going into battle and seeing blood would surely frighten him.
Old General Qin said nothing, his gaze vacant on the ground.
How could he not know that?
But what choice did he have? His second son could fight, so naturally he had to bring him along. Defending their home and country—that was a duty the men of the Qin family could not shirk.
Besides, he wanted outsiders to see that even if his second son was now simple-minded and his left hand was crippled, his skills remained. His eldest son couldn't kill enemies on the battlefield, but his mind was sharp enough to hold the rear. His eldest son had a strategic mind, and his second son could still hold his own against the enemy. That way, if anything ever happened to him, the army wouldn't fall apart.
People always say, "To catch bandits, catch their leader first." Because once the leader falls, the ones below usually scatter without even putting up a fight.
He couldn't let his army lose its backbone.
He was getting on in years, his old bones and limbs failing him. Refusing to admit age wouldn't work forever—who knew how much longer he could hold on? He wasn't afraid to die, but... whenever he thought that the Qin family line might end with this generation, Old General Qin's heart ached bitterly, and his eyes grew moist.
It wasn't that he clung to the old notion that having no heir was the greatest unfilial act. It was simply that seeing both his children without sons or daughters of their own pained him. And when he saw others his age surrounded by grandchildren, his heart swelled with envy.
He could endure any wound—no one lived a life without lacks and imperfections, and no obstacle was insurmountable. But the one thing he could not bear was this: after he and his wife were gone, what would become of their three children?
The sprawling Qin mansion would be left with just three people—empty, cold, and utterly forlorn. And on top of that, there was still Meng Ruqing's illness.
In his youth, Meng Ruqing's fame had filled the capital—and not just because of his good looks. He had been mentored by the Left Chancellor, and with his own natural brilliance, his learning rivaled any man's. Back then, Master Ji—who was still a Grand Scholar—had once competed with him in poetry and had to concede defeat, even saying that if Meng Ruqing had been a man, there would have been no place for him at all.
Yet this luminous, radiant person had now been brought low by that very madness.
After so many years, it still showed no sign of improvement. When an episode struck, he would clamor for his child. Locked away, he would sit with his head bowed, motionless, silent and still, like a soul that had fled his body. His heart must have suffered terribly all these years.
Whenever Old General Qin thought of these weighty, sorrowful matters, his heart ached so keenly he could barely straighten his back—more agonizing than being cut by a dull blade.
But life went on.
He dared not show it in front of his children, for fear they would dwell on it and blame themselves.
Though his second son was simple-minded now, he knew his second son had someone in his heart. He would never force someone on him just for the sake of a grandchild.
If his second son ever regained his senses, how would he face his second son then?
This was the fate of the Qin family.
Old Madam Qin was silent for a moment. "A letter came from home a while back," she said. "It said that my second cousin's family has a grandson..."
That grandson was born of a concubine's son. Not long ago, that son and his wife had died in an accident.
His second cousin's family could certainly afford to raise the child—they just happened to think of Old Madam Qin and sent a letter to ask.
If adopting from a collateral branch, the ideal choice would naturally be a child with some family connection, and one who had already lost both parents.
Old Madam Qin saw it clearly too: her brothers had their eyes on the Qin family's wealth.
That was hardly surprising.
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