Translator: Cinder Translations
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It was Xiao Wan, the girl he had seen at the brothel earlier.
She was calling the deceased middle-aged woman "mother."
His gaze shifted back and forth between Xiao Wan, the middle-aged woman, and the butler, Zhou. Fatty took a deep breath—so, they were a family.
"You..." Xiao Wan glared, her eyes filled with killing intent.
Her appearance was striking, which is why she was known as one of the "Twin Talents" alongside Xuan Ji. But right now, her beautiful face was contorted with resentment.
"Why... Why?!" She clenched her fists and screamed hoarsely, "Why are you helping that scoundrel?"
"Didn't Lord Huang deserve to die for the evil deeds he committed in the past?!"
At this moment, the butler, Zhou, was holding the body of the middle-aged woman, trembling all over. It was clear he had true feelings for the woman in his arms.
He gently stroked her face, carefully brushing her hair.
"Back then..." Fatty paused.
But Xiao Wan seemed to have lost her mind, crying and cursing at them. Gradually, Fatty's confusion began to clear up, and his expression grew clearer, eventually making his pupils tremble.
No one liked having old wounds ripped open—not just because of the pain, but because they couldn't face the bloody reality underneath.
Their previous assumptions were not entirely correct.
At least, not in Xuan Ji's case.
She was really Zhou's daughter and, even more shockingly, Xiao Wan's... biological older sister.
What shocked Fatty even more was that Xuan Ji knew everything.
She wasn't just a victim of the conspiracy; she was also a participant in it and, in fact, the most determined executor.
The conspiracy itself had originally been her idea.
And to convince her father, mother, and sister to carry it out, she spent countless hours, until, in the end, her family tearfully agreed.
The goal was revenge.
Revenge on Lord Huang.
Although, looking at it now, Lord Huang seemed like a genuinely good person. In the town, anyone could tell you about Lord Huang's title of "The Kind-hearted Huang."
To the people in the town, Lord Huang was benevolent, polite, and charitable. Whenever there was a bad harvest or a disaster, he would set up a porridge stall to feed the poor.
People from nearby towns would even come to beg for food.
Many families survived starvation only because of his kindness.
But only Zhou, the butler, and a few others knew the truth: this kind, rich man, "The Kind-hearted Huang," had built his wealth using despicable and vicious methods.
Ten years ago, about 30 miles from here, there was a beautiful place called Miao Family Village.
Although it was called a "village," it had a population of less than 200.
But Miao Family Village was special. It was known for its beautiful scenery and was especially famous for producing tea. During the rainy season, tea merchants nearly trampled the village's gates trying to buy the tea.
The village chief was Miao Fu, who was also Zhou's biological father.
When disaster struck, Zhou was away with his family, so he narrowly escaped.
But when he returned to Miao Family Village, everything had changed.
The once beautiful village was now in ruins, scattered with broken bodies. When he trembled and opened his own door, the sight before him almost caused the strong man to faint.
Nine severed heads were strung together, hanging from a nearby wooden post.
At the top was his father, followed by his mother, brothers, and sister... at the very bottom was his barely five-year-old nephew.
The eyes of the severed heads were wide open, staring angrily, refusing to close.
A breeze blew by, causing the string of heads to sway slightly.
The bodies were piled up on one side, with blood flowing from the decapitated necks, silently accusing the murderer of their crimes.
It didn't take long for the man, named Miao Cheng, to realize who the killer was.
Less than 30 miles away, there was another village called Huang Family Slope.
It was also known for its tea, and, being in direct competition with Miao Family Village, the two had been in rivalry for many years.
Recently, news had come that the prince was considering choosing a tea to present as this year's tribute.
This was a great honor.
After all, in the area, the only two villages capable of producing top-quality tea were Miao Family Village and Huang Family Slope.
The final winner would certainly come from one of these two villages.
So the prince had sent people to notify both villages to prepare tea for him to taste and determine the winner.
But on the day of the tasting, the old butler, who was preparing the tea for the prince, turned pale and collapsed after sipping the tea.
He died shortly after.
The tea he had drunk was from Miao Family Village.
Later, the royal doctor found poison in the tea from Miao Family Village, and the most poisonous teas were the best-quality ones.
The malicious intent of the killer was obvious.
Enraged, the prince ordered the slaughter of Miao Family Village, and over a hundred lives were lost. The village was almost completely destroyed, and the tea fields were trampled by warhorses.
Afterwards, a public notice was posted, declaring Miao Family Village's actions as treason, and the entire family was wiped out.
From then on, Miao Cheng and his people became wandering souls. They changed their surnames and even altered their appearances. From a well-fed, wealthy son, he became a destitute actor.
Of course, he couldn't show his face at the theater, so he had to dress in paper clothes, performing for others, trying to earn a meal.
In the end, he found a few survivors from Miao Family Village and took them in. They all gathered to make a living.
Among them was a child who had survived the massacre. Her mother had hidden her in the crack of a straw wall, saving her life.
Her family had all perished.
According to her, the one who led the soldiers to Miao Family Village was the steward from Huang Family Slope, who was now Lord Huang.
Taking advantage of the soldiers' distraction, he left the same poison in the scene, which was later discovered by the soldiers, confirming the accusation of Miao Family Village's treason.
Only then was the village destroyed.
From then on, Miao Cheng, who had assumed the name Zheng Ban Zhu, and the other survivors gathered together with only one purpose: revenge.
Meanwhile, business at Huang Family Slope was booming, their tea highly regarded, and Lord Huang rose in status, even buying his way into a meaningless government position.
He moved to the town and lived a leisurely life.
Perhaps knowing he had committed grave sins, he sought blessings from gods, with monks and Taoists visiting regularly.
He became charitable and kind, and over time, earned the title "Kind-hearted Huang," with his son, Young Master Huang, becoming his pride.
(End of the Chapter)
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