dognovel Chapter 122 Personal Feud
Chapter 122 Personal Feud
Luo An pulled her up, and Nianyao sat on his lap.
Luo An held her in his arms, his warm lips brushing against her neck: "There are benevolent rulers, wise rulers, and tyrants in the world... The same goes for empresses. There's nothing wrong with being an empress."
They were arguing fiercely just a moment ago, but now they're all lovey-dovey and without any reservations. A quarrel in bed is made up in bed – that's what marriage is all about.
Nianyao swung her leg: "It's like I'm about to become an empress... We'll divide the land into kingdoms, and we'll crown ourselves king and empress on Chongming Island. Then we'll host a banquet for all sides, and have a coronation ceremony, preferably a grand one..."
Luo An, equally serious, said, "Very good. You can appoint Xue Yunting as Marshal and Qin Jiu as Imperial Advisor..."
Nianyao laughed loudly, and only after she finished laughing did she ask, "What do you think Yunting means?"
Luo An thought for a moment and said, "He probably doesn't like me and wants you to remarry."
Nianyao scoffed, "I've heard that the Empress of Nanyue is virtuous and intelligent, and was chosen by my mother as her daughter-in-law. No matter how bold Xue Yunting is, he wouldn't go so far as to depose the Empress. However, I'm currently her niece-in-law, so it'll be fine after I remarry..."
Luo An felt something was off as he listened, and interrupted her: "You seem quite looking forward to it."
Nianyao quickly shook her head: "No, no, no, I wouldn't dare..."
Luo An pretended to grab her neck: "What do you mean 'dare not'?"
Nianyao chuckled, "Master Luo is such a petty, jealous guy..."
Luo An grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. Nian Yao felt a chill run down her spine and quickly stood up: "I'm going to patrol the island with Uncle Xu Lai..."
Luo An didn't stop her, which made Nian Yao even more alarmed, and she ran away in a flash.
Nianyao and Xu Lai sat at the bow of the boat and chatted for a while. Nianyao asked, "Uncle Liu once said that Captain Yan looked familiar? Uncle Xu Lai, did you see Yan Zeyi before the captain selection competition last year?"
Xu Lai wasn't surprised: "Boss, what do you suspect? Just say it!"
Nianyao stared at him: "Yan Zeyu killed Uncle Liu, you were the inside man!"
Xu Lai was slightly taken aback, then laughed as he looked up at the sky.
Nianyao said, "You want to deny it?"
Xu Lai tapped on the gunwale: "Boss, you're really fearless. Do you think the people on this ship will obey you or me?"
Nian Yao coldly replied, "You want to kill me?"
Xu Lai said, "We can kill you, but there's no need right now. You're the gang leader. If you die, everyone will fight for the position, which won't benefit us either personally or in any way."
Nianyao said, "Don't you want to be the gang leader?"
Xu Lai laughed: "The Great River Gang is controlled by Dongyang in Nanyue. If I were to become the gang leader, Nanyue could send someone to kill me in a heartbeat..."
Nianyao asked, "Didn't you kill Uncle Liu because you were worried that the power of Nan Yue was too great?"
Xu Lai shook his head: "It's purely a personal grudge; everything else is secondary!"
Nianyao asked, "Is it your personal grudge, or Yan Zeyu's personal grudge?"
Xu Lai said, "Chief, you've already said too much."
Xu Lai didn't want to say anything more. The boat remained motionless in the river. Nian Yao gripped her longsword tightly, ready to strike.
Xu Lai smiled, as if looking at a sulking child: "Chief, the Great River Gang may not seem important, but it does carry some weight. There's no need for you to stir up trouble at this time."
Nian Yao said calmly, "What impact will Yan Zeyi's death have on the Great River Gang?"
Xu Lai said, "Ji Kongming betrayed the gang and killed his brothers, causing the Great River Gang to fall into disarray. Young Master diagnosed Liu Lin's death as a non-existent illness; do you think many people believe that? Sun Chi and the other older generation are only giving you some face because the old gang leader's body is still warm. As for Zhou Yan and the others, they treat you like a junior. Can you still mobilize Zhou Yan's naval forces?"
The Dahe Gang are indeed rough men, and it's precisely these rough men who value loyalty. They may disregard moral principles, but they respect their inner intuition and thoughts. Yan Zeyu won the boat captain selection competition based on his own abilities, and was the only boat captain on the Xiang River who did not betray the gang and instead joined the Jingjiang gang, representing integrity and loyalty.
When you first took office as ship manager, Ji Kongming acted recklessly, even going to the Xiang River to surrender, resulting in the sinking of the Jingwei. After the ship manager's meeting, you failed to promptly clean house. A new broom sweeps clean, and you've managed to burn yourself with all three. Ji Kongming is alive and well now. What if Yan Zeyi, or even I, were to die at your hands…
"Chief, your remaining prestige is likely gone. You should be most grateful that the old chief, before his death, married you to the young master, and he's willing to return to Chongming Island with you and take care of you. Tell me, what kind of women aren't there in the capital? Why couldn't he understand why he chose you?"
Yan Zeyu sat by the river, and Qin Jiu stood behind him for a while before walking over: "Little Yan, why didn't you go with the gang leader?"
Yan Zeyu threw a stone into the water: "The gang leader suspects that I killed Uncle Liu, he doesn't trust me, and he won't let me follow him."
Qin Jiu was slightly taken aback, unable to bring himself to ask anything. Yan Zeyi's frankness was something he hadn't expected.
Yan Zeyu stood up: "Qin Jiu, you don't need to test me. I killed Uncle Liu, and Brother Xu sank the Jingwei."
Qin Jiu wasn't surprised: "Do you have a personal grudge against Brother Liu?"
Yan Zeyu nodded: "Don't ask me what grudge I have against you, I won't tell you."
Qin Jiu said, "Would you harm the gang leader? If given the chance..."
Yan Zeyu replied frankly, "Yes, I will."
Qin Jiu sighed: "Brother Yan, you really are a man of few words, but when you do speak, you amaze everyone. You performed exceptionally well in last year's Ship Owners' selection competition, and this year you returned to Jingjiang as the only one from Xiangshui who did not betray the Ship Owners' organization. It seems you've been lying low for a long time... A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years, and your feud has a long history?"
From Xiao Yan to Brother Yan? Yan Zeyu just smiled and didn't answer.
Qin Jiu was wondering how Nian Yao, being so young, could have any deep-seated grudge against him, when he saw the patrol boat getting closer and closer. Nian Yao disembarked first, followed by Xu Lai.
Seeing that Nianyao's expression wasn't good, Qin Jiu smiled and said, "Chief, with Brother Xu here, even if you leave for eight or ten years, there's nothing to worry about!"
Nianyao laughed and said, "That's perfect. Bianjing is so prosperous, and Luo An lives a life of extravagance. He's not used to it since he came back. He was just complaining to me that he wanted me to go to Heaven and Earth with him..."
Did I say something wrong? Qin Jiu quickly said, "With the gang leader and young master not coming back, my brothers and I miss them terribly..."
Nianyao said, "You and your brothers can come to Heaven and Earth to see us."
Yan Zeyu chimed in from the side, "Is the gang leader planning to abdicate in favor of Qin Jiu?"
Nianyao shook her head: "Ji Kongming betrayed us, and as the captain of the Xiangshui River, Captain Yan saved us from danger and is respected by the brothers. In every respect, Captain Yan is more suitable for the position of gang leader than Uncle Jiu."
Xu Lai and Qin Jiu stared at each other in astonishment. Yan Zeyi quickly said, "Chief, you're joking, right?"
Nianyao laughed heartily: "Yes, I was just kidding. You all look down on me when I'm the gang leader. You don't even dare to accept my offer to step down..."
Nianyao didn't go to the dining room for dinner, so Luo An brought the food to her room. Nianyao only ate a few bites before putting down her chopsticks, and Luo An didn't force her. He told Ba Mei to clear the dishes and had Hu Zi carry hot water to the bathroom.
Luo An said, "I know you usually take cold showers, but now that it's getting cooler, a hot bath will be more comfortable."
Nianyao didn't argue. She sat quietly for a while, then pushed open the back door of the courtyard and went to the bathroom. She leaned against the bathtub, looking tired.
Luo An found the two men's change of clothes, stood by and looked at them for a while, then hung the clothes on the rack, took off his clothes, and stepped inside.