Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

After the sworn brotherhood ceremony was completed, Zheng Tu and Ximen Qing had a long private conversation in the study.

Even Dai'an, who was serving outside the door, couldn't hear clearly what the two were saying. He only vaguely heard that Ximen Qing's words were quite intense, and at the end, he even choked up.

By the time the study door opened, it was already getting dark.

With red eyes, Ximen Qing personally escorted Zheng Tu to the gate of the mansion.

He held Zheng Tu's hand tightly for a long time before letting go, and whispered, "Brother, after tonight we part, I don't know when we'll be able to talk like this again... Please take care."

The two bowed to each other in farewell.

Zheng Tu turned and disappeared into the night. Ximen Qing stood in front of the door, watching his imposing figure gradually walk away until he disappeared around the street corner. Only then did he sigh and slowly close the gate of the mansion.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, and the stars disappeared; it was a sign that a storm was brewing.

........................

"Father, I heard you were looking for me?"

Zhang Erguan was forcibly pulled from the arms of a courtesan by his servant in the brothel. The servant said, "Master has urgent business to discuss with him." Although he was unwilling, he knew that unless it was something important, the servant would not disturb his enjoyment in the middle of the night.

He hurriedly returned to the Zhang family mansion and went straight to the study.

Although they still addressed each other as uncle and nephew in front of outsiders, in private they had long regarded each other as father and son.

It should be noted that this wealthy man has always treated Zhang Erguan extremely well.

When Erguan was young, whenever any novel sugar figurines, cakes, or toys appeared on the street, Zhang the wealthy man would always send his servant to buy them and deliver them to him.

Whenever she saw him, she would always slip some loose silver or copper coins into his pocket so he could buy some snacks.

If Zhang Erguan got into a fight with someone and suffered a loss, his biological father would sometimes act as a reasonable person and give him a few words of advice. However, Zhang the wealthy man always sided with his relatives and ignored them, often finding his employees to stand up for Erguan.

The neighbors often praised Erguan in front of him, saying, "Erguan is so lucky to have such a loving uncle! He cares for you even more than a son! Look at him, they're practically identical!"

However, Zhang Erguan was young, and hearing these words made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Despite receiving kindness from Zhang the landlord, he never really became very warm towards him. Sometimes, when Zhang the landlord invited him to travel together or gave him valuable gifts, he would often refuse them.

Despite seeing his behavior, Zhang the wealthy man was never angry and continued to treat him as before.

When Erguan was still a child, he came home early from school one day and passed by his mother's courtyard gate. He saw that the gate was half-closed and heard low laughter coming from inside.

He thought his father had returned from his business trip, and overjoyed, he shouted and pushed the door open, bursting inside.

But all they saw inside were Zhang the landlord and his mother!

The two men turned pale when they saw someone break in, but they recovered when they realized that it was only Zhang Erguan alone.

"What...are you doing?!"

Although Zhang Erguan was young at the time, he was still somewhat ignorant about human affairs and immediately questioned him.

His mother hurriedly got up, smoothed her hair, and forced a smile as she explained, "Why did you come back so early, Erguan? I... I wasn't feeling well, so your uncle brought some tonics."

Zhang the wealthy man also lowered his hands, responding rather awkwardly, saying it was just mutual care between uncle and sister-in-law, and told him not to overthink it.

Seeing the two men's flustered appearance, Zhang Erguan was filled with doubt, but he refused to believe that such a sordid thing could have happened to his family. He assumed that he had misunderstood and left in a huff.

Years later, his biological father was killed by bandits while traveling as a merchant.

From then on, Zhang the landlord and his family became increasingly close, and Zhang often came and went from their home under the pretext of "taking care of the orphans and widows".

Although Zhang Erguan did not see them do anything excessive afterward, he never gave his uncle a kind look.

One night, as dawn was breaking, Zhang the landlord was seen quietly walking out of his mother's courtyard!

At that moment, all the kindness shown to Zhang Erguan seemed to turn sour, and any further explanations were seen as lies. Zhang Erguan felt disgusted!

Blood rushed to his head, and he grabbed Zhang the landlord's wrist, shouting angrily, "Tell me! What exactly happened?! I believed your lies back then, but what do you have to say for yourself today?! You old bastard, you shameless scum!"

Zhang the landlord struggled twice but failed to break free. Looking at Zhang the Second, who was both angry and desperate, the panic on his face gradually subsided.

He sighed deeply, finally letting out a word: "So be it... I can't hide it anymore. Erguan, how could I ever be your uncle? You... are my and your mother's own son!"

A bolt from the blue! The two officials stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning.

From then on, Zhang the landlord took the two officials to live with him on the grounds that he had no sons and needed his nephews to inherit the family business, and carefully cultivated them.

Later, Zhang Erguan started to act arrogantly and domineeringly, putting on airs like a lord...

The rest will not be discussed for now.

Zhang Erguan pushed open the study door, his voice still tinged with impatience: "Father, what's the rush that you're looking for me at this hour...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he froze on the spot!

The candlelight flickered in the study.

A burly man sat upright in the rosewood armchair that Zhang the wealthy man usually sat in, slowly wiping his palms with a white cloth.

And his own uncle, no, his own father, Zhang the landlord, was already lying dead on the ground!

The body lay beside the desk, eyes wide open, as if in disbelief.

An immense fear, like ice water poured over his head, instantly swept over Zhang Erguan's entire body!

His pupils suddenly contracted, his hands and feet turned ice-cold, and he tried to open his mouth to call for help, but only some hoarse sounds came out of his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word!

My legs went weak, and I almost collapsed to the ground.

"Don't worry, young master Zhang."

The burly man raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, and landed on Zhang Erguan's deathly pale face.

He smiled calmly, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth that looked particularly eerie in the flickering candlelight.

"If I were you,"

The man gently placed the handkerchief he had used to wipe his hands on the table. "I certainly won't speak so rashly and disturb others."

Zhang Erguan trembled violently, staring intently at the person in front of him, then at his father lying on the ground. His Adam's apple bobbed, and cold sweat poured down his back, soaking through his clothes.

The man slowly rose from the armchair, his imposing figure casting a large shadow on the wall.

He walked up to Zhang Erguan, bent down and whispered, his voice low but clear:

"Although Master Zhang is already over fifty, it will probably be another ten years or more before you take charge of the household. With that shrew Yu Shi over your head, your life... won't be easy, will it?"

Zhang Erguan's pupils contracted sharply again.

These words struck right at his deepest, most hidden pain!

Although Yu was a stepmother, she relied on her status as the legal wife to make things difficult for and suppress him at every turn, and her words were full of sarcasm towards his biological mother.

His "nephew" appeared to be living a glamorous life in the mansion, but in reality, he was walking on thin ice.

The man stared into his terrified eyes, and his words, spoken slowly and deliberately, struck him deeply:

"Do you...want to be the next Zhang the tycoon?"