Chapter 40
Walking leisurely, Su Yanjiu walked to his courtyard, a little distance from the residence of Patriarch Su. Although he had a high enough position in the ministry, in the Su family's residence he was only one of the elders who did not have much power inside the family. This is one of the reasons he cannot care about his granddaughter.
Taking a deep breath, this old man arrived at his courtyard which looked modest when compared to the courtyard of the other Su family's elders. Living in the shadow of his brother, Su Yanjiu could not get much. This man also does not demand many things, he must be able to survive in this family because he has promised to live well to the woman he loves. The woman has sacrificed her life just to let him live.
Arriving in his courtyard, Su Yanjiu headed to one of the hidden rooms made in his private bedroom. In the hidden room, there is a wooden plaque that says 'My dear lover; Shun Qing' displayed on a simple altar. His cold att.i.tude made everyone believe that he did not love the illegitimate child born from the Su family maid; Shun Qing. Actually, before marrying his legal wife, Shun Qing was Su Yanjiu's lover who made him dare to take the royal test as a scholar so that he could become a minister.
"Shun Qing, this old man misses you."
Staring gently at the wooden plaque above the altar, the old man took a deep breath.
Creak ~
The sound of the secret door sliding softly echoed in the secret room. Turning slowly, Su Yanjiu glanced at the figure who walked slowly towards
"Father, you're back."
A heavy male voice was heard from the figure entering the secret room.
"Gaishan, did you come to see your mother?" asked Su Yanjiu quietly, staring lovingly at his beloved son's born from his lover.
The young man with a simple look seen in the candlelight in the room smiled faintly at his ageing father. This thirty-year-old man knows the secrets of the old man in front of him very well. Although many people in the Su family thought that Su Yanjiu did not love him, Su Gaishan knew the truth.
No one knows except his father that Su Gaishan witnessed his mother's death when the young woman was forced to take her life to protect his father and himself from Su Lingdao's evil plans. To cover up the closeness of his mother's relations.h.i.+p with his father, also to cover up how much his father loved him, Shun Qing took her life.
The sacrifice and love of his mother towards him and his father made Gaishan could only love one woman like them in his whole life. The sacrifice of his mother also caused this young man to name his daughter; Su Qingyi.
"Why did you come to see mother now, Father? Do you have a problem?"
Taking a deep breath, Su Yanjiu whispered; "I just miss your mother."
Hearing his father's whisper, Su Gaishan could barely hear him if he had no sensitivity as a high-level cultivator.
"I want to talk to you too."
Only in this secret room, Su Yanjiu could talk freely with her son. Out there, they must look like strangers.
"What is wrong?" asked Su Gaishan curiously.
"Su Qingyi was attacked by a.s.sa.s.sins."
Hearing his father's news, this man with a simple and lazy appearance immediately let out unconscious killing intent.
"What? Does someone want to kill my daughter?! Who?"
Seeing his son's emotional turmoil that could barely be contained, Su Yanjiu told him about his meeting with Yu w.a.n.g after the morning court at the Palace.
"So the person who ordered the attack on my daughter is a member of the Su family? How dare they do that again?!"
Su Gaishan narrowed his eyes sharply knowing that.
"Even though Yu w.a.n.g came to demand responsibility, there is no way Patriarch Su would let the culprit be severely punished."
Su Gaishan looked thoughtful. Patriarch Su will not get rid of people who dare to attack Su Qingyi, he will instead try to protect that person in the dark.
"Yes, you are right. My brother will protect the culprit in the dark. He will want to use the perpetrator to continue to hara.s.s Su Qingyi. Su Lingdao will not let my descendants live comfortably, as he did for you."
"Hmph! If it's not me acting like a drunkard and lazy to deal with anything, that guy must be trying to keep pressing me."
"Yes, Su Lingdao certainly did that. Su Lingdao did not want your life and your daughter to be comfortable so he let members of the Su family take your wife's heritage shops and only gave a small percentage to you just so you didn't protest about the shops."
Remembering the harshness of her daughter's life because of the behaviour that Su Lingdao allowed to occur to Su Qingyi made Su Gaishan gritted his teeth. His daughter could barely survive if it was not because Su Gaishan secretly sending food to Su Qingyi. Using his capability as a high-level cultivator, Su Gaishan sometimes acts as hired cultivator to get some money for her daughter's living expenses.
"I feel that Yu w.a.n.g is aware of that too. This old man feels that Yu w.a.n.g doesn't care if Patriarch Su punishes the culprit himself or not. Yu w.a.n.g will take care of the culprit later, but he will ask Patriarch Su to return all your wife heritage shops to Su Qingyi."
"If that happens, I will acknowledge Yu w.a.n.g as my son-in-law." Su Gaishan chuckled at the thought of his son-in-law taking over all his wife's heritage stores to return to his daughter.