“No matter if Si Zhan’s poison could be cured, or how long he could live, she hoped to accompany him, to spare him loneliness and sorrow, giving him a place for his heart to rest.
“Do you know what path you’ll face if he leaves?”
“When we reach the mountain, there will be a way. I believe my uncle will survive that tribulation. Even if he goes first, I won’t regret it.” Ning Wan Wan’s gaze held an unbreakable determination. “The path I choose, I will walk to the end.”
Ning Laotai asked, “Has the master mentioned anything about official affairs?”
Xu shi replied, “The master rarely speaks to me, and when he does, he never mentions official matters.”
“Has he been acting unusual recently?”
Xu shi pondered, “He hasn’t seemed particularly unusual… just somewhat happier than before…”
Happier? Ning Wanwan’s heart stirred, and she asked, “Has father given you money?”
Xu shi’s eyes flickered, and she stammered, “…Gi-given…”
“How much?”
“Between two thousand and five thousand taels, but the master always replenishes the money after a few days, so I never recorded these amounts.”
Ning Laotai stared at Ning Wanwan, “Does Wanwan know something?”
Ning Wanwan frowned. “I recently met Wu Deng and learned that Father seems to have made some small business deals and earned some money.”
Ning Laotai scoffed. “He has ambitions to restore the Lin family’s reputation, so he would explore other avenues. I’m not surprised.”
However, Ning Wanwan was concerned about the nature of her father’s business.
“Let’s not rush. We’ll wait for Chang Nanny to return,” Ning Laotai consoled.
Ning Wanwan set aside her thoughts and waited for Chang Nanny’s news.
After a while, Chang Nanny returned.
“Old Madam.”
“How is it? Did you find out?” Ning Laotai leaned forward.
“I found out,” Chang Nanny said gravely. “Wu Deng, close to the master, was instructed by him to use the mansion’s money to smuggle copper coins.”
“What?!” Ning Laotai was shocked.
Ning Wanwan’s heart sank.
Chang Nanny continued, “Wu Deng has confessed that the master provided the money to purchase copper coins in large quantities from households, smuggling them to Jiaozhi and Java, exchanging them for foreign goods to resell and earn enormous profits.”
“How many copper coins were smuggled?” Ning Wanwan asked, trembling.
“Tens of thousands of guan.”
