Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside
Chapter 198: Guilt

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Guilt

Although they didn’t know if Ah Ji was a friend or foe, he indeed brought them valuable news, for which they should be grateful, rather than being so aggressively confrontational.

Having more friends is always better than having more enemies.

Upon hearing Elder Qin’s words, Qin San Lang refrained from pursuing the matter further.

Ah Ji knew he had been let off the hook for now, and with his mind at ease, he said to Elder Qin, "General He, Ah Ji has delivered the message, and now I will take my leave. Please be very careful in all matters."

At the end, Ah Ji reassured Qin Er Lang, "If Ah Ji receives any news about your uncles, I will send someone to inform you. As for the betrayal by those old soldiers who have ties with your families, if I encounter your uncles, I will also inform them to be on guard."

Having said that, he turned around to leave the room and headed towards the courtyard.

"Wait." Qin San Lang called out from behind him and asked, "Does Elder Lei Wu know about these matters?"

Ah Ji shook his head: "They are unaware. All of this has been done by Ah Ji alone."

The Third Master had his suspicions, but he did not think of the National Duke Mansion or the Marquis Mansion, and since I have already spoken for them, I’ve managed to dispel the Third Master’s doubts.

Upon hearing this, Qin San Lang and the others were reassured.

After hesitating for a while, Qin Er Lang finally asked, "Did Miss Meng enter the palace of her own free will, or was she forced by the Duke Ying Mansion?"

Although his marriage with Meng Shuyu had not taken place, they had met a few times since their engagement.

So, he wanted to know whether Meng Shuyu entered the palace willingly or if she was forced.

If it was the latter, he wouldn’t blame her.

Ah Ji replied, "Does that question have any meaning?"

She’s already entered the palace and become the Emperor’s woman; asking such a question is pointless.

After finishing his words, Ah Ji took his leave.

"Grandfather, I will see him out." Qin San Lang followed Ah Ji out, clutching a dagger in his hand.

The night was dark and silent, punctuated only occasionally by the call of frogs from around them.

Ah Ji gathered his clothes, shouldered his sack, and took the shortcut out of Da Feng Village, quickly reaching the woods where he had previously been hiding.

Qin San Lang followed him all the way.

After entering the woods, Ah Ji spoke first: "Young Marquis, do you have anything else to say? Please speak, as Ah Ji needs to continue his journey."

Even if he walked briskly, it would still take one and a half hours to return to Shang Family Village.

Qin San Lang said, "If the news you’ve told us is false, if you dare to harm Third Grandpa and the others, even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I will kill you!"

Ah Ji laughed: "Young man, don’t be so hostile. After all, Ning Ji is more than a decade older than you, practically like a generation uncle to you."

Qin San Lang didn’t respond. His piercing eyes stared at Ah Ji like a sharpened blade, causing Ah Ji’s smile to fade.

Ah Ji could only assure: "Ning Ji will not harm you or those families, and all the news I’ve given is true."

Qin San Lang replied with a single sentence: "Empty assurances are useless; we will judge by your actions in the future."

With that said, he turned and left, heading back toward Da Feng Village.

Ah Ji watched the retreating figure of Qin San Lang, recalling the rumors about this young son of the Marquis Mansion. They really couldn’t be trusted.

The rumors of his being amiable and courteous, his straightforwardness like the city Chicheng, were all deceitful nonsense. The real him was like a lone wolf crouched among a pack of fierce beasts—hardly noticeable among the predators, yet capable of delivering a fatal blow at a critical moment.

Luckily, he knew this better than anyone else in advance.

However, he thought that the nature of this Young Marquis would only reveal itself after ten years, yet to his surprise, it was exposed so early in front of him.

Ah Ji stayed in the woods for a moment before darting out and quickly leaving.

The woods were not far from Da Feng Village. With Qin San Lang’s brisk pace, it took only a quarter of an hour to return home.

The house was pitch-black; the lights had been extinguished. It was unusual to keep the lights on in the middle of the night in the countryside where oil was too precious to waste.

Elder Qin and Qin Er Lang had not rested. They were sitting in the main room waiting for him. Upon his return, Elder Qin asked, "Has he left?"

"Yes, he’s gone. I watched him leave." Qin San Lang had not returned to the village immediately after exiting the woods but had hidden in nearby bushes to ensure Ning Ji had indeed left before heading back.

"Er Lang, with a traitor emerging from amongst the old friends and allies of our two families, do you still want to leave and find those so-called uncles?"

Qin Er Lang was filled with sorrow and rage. The news he received tonight was too much for him. First, his fiancée became one of the Emperor’s women, and now, there was a traitor among their old friends.

Was it really the case that when a wall falls, everybody pushes it over?

In this world, whom could he still trust?

Elder Qin knew that Qin Er Lang had suffered a great blow and consoled him, "Er Lang, we are still here."

As for the old friends and allies, there were already interests entangled. True emotional ties were only between their few families.

Qin Er Lang did not speak, but his heart was filled with gratitude for Elder Qin. Nevertheless, he insisted, "I must go to the Military Office."

Elder Qin frowned, "Are you really going?"

With a thud.

In the darkness, Qin Er Lang knelt on the ground and pleaded with Elder Qin, "I must go. If I don’t, I’ll be trapped and die here!"

They still had family members alive, and he had to go to the Military Office to gather news.

If he did well, he might even use the Military Office to get back into the army.

Once he was in the army, he could find out who had betrayed them and then reconnect with those loyal old subordinates. With that, revenge would be within sight.

Elder Qin felt helpless; he knew that Er Lang’s determination could not be suppressed. Refusing him might only lead to more trouble in the future.

"Go then," Elder Qin finally relented, "but remember, you are not alone. Whatever you do affects the lives of more than thirty people. Er Lang, one must be conscientious. Since we have benefited from those families, we must remember their kindness and not cause them to be ruined."

Qin Er Lang’s heart was already covered by hatred, and he didn’t care about Third Grandpa and the rest. But since Elder Qin begged him, he could only agree, "Alright."

Qin San Lang had been silent the whole time. Only after Elder Qin and the others finished discussing and were about to rest did he finally speak, "I will go with Er Lang."

Qin Er Lang frowned, "Do you intend to monitor me?"

In the darkness, Qin San Lang smiled in Qin Er Lang’s direction, "With your current impulsive and angry temperament, shouldn’t I follow and keep watch?"

"The lives of more than thirty people, and those who have helped us, I don’t wish for us three to commit too grave sins."

He was different from Er Lang. Er Lang disliked those few families and the countryside, but he quite enjoyed it. Although those families were poor and even bore different surnames, they could join hands in times of crisis, overcome disasters, and improve their lives progressively.

He liked the life in the countryside and the atmosphere among those families.

And Xiao Yu...

Xiao Yu always believed that on the night when the Evil Man was slaughtering refugees, it was he who stepped in to save her, making sure her hands remained clean and free of blood.

What Xiao Yu didn’t know was that it was precisely his intervention that helped solve the problem with the Evil Man but also dragged their families into the mire.

He felt guilty, so he always wanted to treat her well... It seemed that, by treating her a little better, the guilt in his heart would lessen a bit.