Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox

Chapter 72

Cai Zhonghe took off the sachet from his waist and pulled out a jade pendant carved with a dragon from his bag. Under the light, the gleam of the jade pendant revealed that it was worth a fortune.

"This piece of jade was given to Jianyue by Young Master Long before I left."

Qingfeng asked doubtfully, "Are you referring to Long Fengming, the young master of Long Fortress?"

“Yes.” Cai Zhonghe praised, “This man is the same age as the fortress lord. Although he has a distinguished family background and excellent personal qualities, he has not been tainted by any arrogant or conceited playboy behavior. In addition, he is honest and fair, and at a young age, he has established a good image for himself and has won praise from all sides. Although the fortress lord Long is still in his prime, he has begun to gradually hand over power to him. This time when I visited Tianlong Fortress, he and Lord Kang were the ones who received me from beginning to end.”

Qingfeng asked, unconvinced, "Who do you think is stronger, my cousin or him?"

"It's hard to tell who's stronger or weaker. Being friends would be very beneficial to our fortress. But if we become enemies?" Cai Zhonghe smiled bitterly, "that would be terrible."

"I don't believe it," Lu Qingcheng scoffed. "Everyone has weaknesses."

"What frightens me is not this man's intelligence or martial arts skills, but the power surrounding him. In Tianlong Fortress, their belief in protecting and strengthening the family is unwavering. They are united from top to bottom; whether they are the fortress lord or servants, they all have the spirit to sacrifice themselves for the family. Even Long Zhenhao, the younger brother of the fortress lord who has established his own independent branch in Yunnan, and Kang Boying, who has become a regional overlord, although they are independent, they are still part of this family. They can live and die together and fight for a common ideal."

Qingfeng remarked, "I understand now. This is the power of cohesion. In comparison, our fortress, divided by factions and with its morale low, is utterly vulnerable. This is why Li Ying dared to openly invade our fortress."

Lu Qingcheng said sullenly, "You should go back."

Cai Zhonghe asked worriedly, "Lord of the Fortress?"

Lu Qingcheng said wearily, "I want to be alone for a while."

"In that case, please get some rest, cousin."

Qingfeng winked at Cai Zhonghe, then took his leave.

Chapter Thirty: Lies

Just as dawn broke, Kiyomi Tsuki was woken up by the white fox. After her morning exercise, she went back to the courtyard for a hot bath, changed her clothes, and came out to find a sumptuous breakfast already laid out on the living room table.

The little sparrow smiled and said, "Young master, a message came from the Academy of Literature that the fortress master is going to have a meeting with the Grand Enforcer and all the lords and supervisors, so you don't need to go for breakfast."

Kiyomi Tsuki asked curiously, "A meeting so early? Is something wrong?"

"How could I possibly know about such a confidential matter? I heard it's related to White Stone Manor." Little Sparrow ladled out a bowl of porridge, handed him the chopsticks, and said gently with a smile, "Young master, please eat quickly. It's cold, and the porridge will cool down quickly."

Without a second thought, Qingjian Yue threw down his chopsticks and ran quickly out of the living room, ignoring the little sparrow's anxious chirping. Just outside was the Shuxiangyuan Academy, and he suddenly saw Su Haibo hurrying through the gate accompanied by Bai Yiting and his daughter. He quickly greeted them. They both looked over and greeted him with smiles.

Zhang Zhichun hurried over and said with a smile, "Manager Su, Manager Bai, and Miss Bai are here. The Lord of the Fortress has been urging us several times. Please come in quickly."

Su Haibo and Bai Yiting, father and daughter, didn't dare to delay and hurried into the study. Qing Jianyue also wanted to follow, but Zhang Zhichun stopped her.

"Young Master Jianyue, I have already sent someone to deliver breakfast to your courtyard. You don't need to come today. The Lord of the Fortress is busy and can't keep you company."

"What happened?" Qing Jianyue didn't notice the subtle expression on Zhang Zhichun's face. What he was most concerned about was what major event had occurred that made Lu Qingcheng hold an emergency meeting so early.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Please go back to the courtyard and rest.” Zhang Zhichun stretched out his hand, gesturing for him to go back. “Have you had breakfast? It’s so cold, it will get cold quickly if left out.”

He kept urging him, and even the most dull-witted person could sense the intrigue in it, let alone Qing Jianyue, who had a keen and perceptive mind and immediately discerned Zhang Zhichun's intentions.

"Zhang Zhichun, is it because the lord of the fortress forbids me from attending the meeting?"

Zhang Zhichun stammered, "No, that's not true, young master. Don't make wild guesses. The lord of the fortress just doesn't like being disturbed by outsiders during meetings." As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhang Zhichun regretted them. Seeing Qing Jianyue's face change drastically, he became even more anxious. He tried to explain again and again, but the more he tried to explain, the worse it got.

"You don't need to explain, I understand."

Qing Jianyue felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was blocking his throat. Ever since he had slain three lords with three strikes, Lu Qingcheng had treated him as a confidant, involving him in matters big and small, and consulting with him privately, never treating him as an outsider. Why was he not allowed to attend this morning's meeting? Did Lu Qingcheng no longer trust him? Why? What had happened?

Seeing his dejected state, Zhang Zhichun felt sorry for him and couldn't help but comfort him, "Young master, don't think too much. I think the lord is probably just a little angry. He will see you naturally once he calms down. You know how good the lord is to you. Take the bowl of rock sugar bird's nest soup you have every night, for example. It's all paid for by the lord himself."

Kiyomi Tsuki paused, then asked, "What did you say?"

Zhang Zhichun sighed, "You know the economic situation in the fort. Most of the current expenses are allocated by Manager Su from the south, and the other half depends entirely on Young Master Qingfeng's assistance."

"I know, Manager Su, you don't need to say anything. The other half depends on Qingfeng, but where does Qingfeng get so much money?"

"Don't you know? Young Master Qingfeng's maternal grandfather was a retired Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, surnamed Lin. After retiring, he purchased land outside Hangzhou and became quite wealthy. People respectfully called him Old Master Lin. Old Master Lin had no sons, only one daughter, Young Master Qingfeng's mother, Madam Yan. Three years ago, Madam Yan passed away, and Old Master Lin brought Young Master Qingfeng back to the Lin Family Manor. Young Master Qingfeng spent two years carefully managing the manor, making it the richest place in Hangzhou."

"I never imagined that Qingfeng was such a wealthy man." Qing Jianyue's heart pounded, and her black crystal eyes were filled with the sight of gold ingots.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Zhichun couldn't help but laugh.

Oh no, Zhang Zhichun saw my greedy face. Qing Jianyue's face flushed red, thinking: No wonder Qingfeng gave me the clothes; he told me to accept them. So Qingfeng is the real tycoon. I knew the fort's economy wasn't good, but I didn't know it was this bad. It seems I can't eat that bowl of rock sugar bird's nest every night anymore. Even if the fort lord pays out of his own pocket, it's still the fort's money, and it won't sound good if word gets out. Then she thought again, Zhang Zhichun said the fort lord was a little angry. Where did that anger come from? Last night when we were eating bird's nest, he was grinning and said I looked like a starving ghost, never getting enough to eat from morning till night. Then, the handsome brother and Qingfeng came... Could it be...?

Oh no! Suddenly, a jolt of electricity ran through Kiyomi Tsuki's mind. I was only thinking about helping him through this difficult time, but I forgot it would expose my identity. Kiyomi Tsuki felt her heart pounding like a drum. What should she do? Did he know? How much did he know? If he knew, what would he think? This was driving her crazy.

He paced anxiously back and forth in the yard. Zhang Zhichun watched him, at a loss for what to do. The white fox, having eaten its fill, lazily strolled out of the small yard. Seeing its master appearing in a revolving lantern, it found it very amusing and ran over, hopping around its master's feet.

After waiting for about half an hour, the meeting inside ended. The servants opened the carved doors, and Cai Bo'an and Lin Feng came out side by side first, followed by Lei Yongxiang and Liu Xicheng, then Bai Yiting and his daughter, Su Haibo and Zhou Peng and his son, and finally Qingfeng and Cai Zhonghe. They smiled and nodded to Qing Jianyue, but none of them stopped.

Seeing that Qingfeng and Cai Zhonghe, who were usually close to him, didn't even have time to exchange a few words, Qingjian Yue felt even more heavy-hearted. The white fox tilted its head to look at the departing group, then glanced at its master with dim eyes, the little fox feeling an indescribable confusion.

Zhang Zhichun said, "This afternoon, Lord Li, Lord He, and Lord Du led the warriors of this fortress back to the fortress in triumph. The fortress lord and his wife will reward those who have contributed to the victory in the Grand Council Hall, and then a victory banquet will be held. I heard that Madam Tong, Manor Lord Tong, and the Second Manor Lord arrived this morning, so it seems to be true. Young Master Qingfeng and the Grand Enforcer will be very busy again."

At that moment, Kiyomi Tsuki's mind was a jumbled mess, like mud and water. Hearing his words, she looked completely bewildered. "What? Who is Madam Tong?"

Zhang Zhichun introduced, "The eldest wife is the first wife, and she has two younger sisters. Madam Li is the lord's aunt, as you know. The second aunt is Madam Tong, because the son-in-law Zhong married into the family, so both the first and second lords of the manor share the surname Tong."

Kiyoshi suddenly remembered and blurted out, "It's Tong Lei!"

Zhang Zhichun smiled and said, "He is the second master of the manor."

Kiyoshi thought to herself: What a coincidence! He Zhiqiang is coming back, and Tong Lei is coming too. Hmph, all these enemies from three years ago are getting together today. I wonder what Miss Zhao will think if she finds out.

Wang Jie rushed over, "Jian Yue, quick, the lord of the fortress wants you to come in."

Kiyotsuki hurriedly took a step, but suddenly tripped and heard the cry of a white fox. Kiyotsuki immediately bent down and said, "Little fox, don't make trouble. Play by yourself. Your master has some things to do." After saying that, she reached out and stroked its head.