Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Luo An had heard most often about the Bodhisattva protecting him, but this was the first time he had heard someone say that they wanted their ancestors to protect him. He felt this sincerity.

Xu Chengyao pulled Qian Xuelin up: "Young Master, there's no need for you to go through fire and water or die for us. As for the consultation fee..."

Qian Xuelin picked up the lotus-shaped Guanyin vase from the table, removed the willow branch from inside, and poured out a pile of keys. He used the keys to open the boxes: large boxes contained gold, silver, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings… small boxes contained jewelry, ornaments, and banknotes…

Xu Chengyao's eyes widened: "Your family is richer than the imperial palace?"

No wonder Aunt Feng and Qian Xuehai were vying for it; such a fortune would even tempt Xu Chengyao.

Qian Xuelin humbly replied, "The people of Nanyue are prosperous and the country is strong. Ordinary people have their own wealth, let alone merchant families. In fact, we have to thank His Majesty for his lenient taxes and effective governance."

Xu Chengyao was pleased to hear this: "Young Master is too modest. It's all thanks to the Qian family's skillful management. Young Master, these..."

Qian Xuelin said, "You can have them all."

Xu Chengyao thought Qian Xuelin would open the box and let them choose whatever they wanted, but Qian Xuelin said he would give them all.

The rich young master, who doesn't engage in productive work, is indeed very generous, truly regarding money as dirt and squandering it like dirt.

Xu Chengyao dared not agree, and tugged at Luo An's sleeve, signaling him to be modest and just take whatever he wanted.

Luo An was not at all polite: "Thank you, young master."

Xu Chengyao thought Luo An had misunderstood, so he lowered his voice and said urgently, "That's not what I meant."

Qian Xuelin said to Madam Qian, "Mother, I'm not good at business. I'll give the business to my second brother. As for the possessions Father left us, I'll give them to our benefactors."

We'll take Qingqing and the child back to our hometown in Poyang. We still have enough land there to live on. When I pass the imperial examinations and achieve success, I'll use my own abilities to give you a good life."

"So confident?" Xu Chengyao said, "The competition for official positions is extremely fierce. What if you fail?"

Qian Xuelin was very confident: "I will pass the exam."

Xu Chengyao nodded: "Then I wish you good luck in advance, young master."

Qian Xuelin smiled somewhat shyly: "I'll have the servants prepare a carriage for you."

One carriage wasn't enough, so Qian Xuelin arranged for an even larger one. Compared to Luo An's complacency, Xu Chengyao felt unworthy of the gifts and insisted on leaving behind the jewelry, antiques, and paintings, only taking the gold, silver, and banknotes.

Qian Xuelin stood at the door and watched them leave until the carriage disappeared into the darkness before closing the door and turning back.

Madam Qian remained seated on the soft couch, not moving. When she saw Qian Xuelin return, she complained somewhat, "Xuelin, such a big matter requires you to discuss it with Qingqing. If you make the decision on your own, what if she blames you later?"

Given the current situation at the Qian residence, Madam Qian couldn't very well contradict Qian Xuelin in front of Luo An. Now that Luo An had left, Madam Qian truly felt heartbroken.

This wealth was accumulated by the Qian family over many years, and Qian Xuelin gave it away with a single sentence: "It's just worldly possessions." This child has been pampered since childhood and has no idea how difficult it is to earn a family fortune. He doesn't know the cost of living when he's not in charge of the household.

Qian Xuelin said gently, "Mother, Qingqing won't do that."

Madam Qian said, "No, no, you've always been like this since you were little, slow and weak, always saying 'I can't do anything.' If you had even half the ruthlessness of Qian Xuehai, we wouldn't be bullied by Aunt Feng."

Qian Xuelin squatted in front of the soft couch, his hand on Madam Qian's knee: "Mother, if Qingqing and the child die today, I will never wake up. What's the point of you guarding this wealth?"

Let me put it another way, Mother, would you be willing to use that money to buy my recovery, and to buy Qingqing and the child's lives? If you are, then you don't need to feel sorry for yourself.

Mrs. Qian sighed and patted his hand: "I'll go pack my things. We'll leave for our hometown first thing tomorrow morning."

Si Jie drove the large carriage ahead, while Xu Chengyao followed behind in his smaller carriage. He was so excited that he overlooked Luo An's indifference.

Xu Chengyao nudged Luo An with his elbow: "Hey... that Qian Xuelin, he looks decent enough, speaks softly, but he acts like... a three-year-old. He gives away so much property just like that, he's so incredibly generous..."

Xu Chengyao almost said something like he was a fool, but since he had received a gift, he couldn't be too harsh in his words.

Xu Chengyao thought for a moment and then said, "This mansion looks like it belongs to a wealthy person, but how do you know there's a sick person inside? Just because you heard crying? How do you know what the illness is? What if the person is already dead and cold? You can't bring them back to life, can you..."

Luo An leaned against the carriage, his eyes slightly closed, silent, as if he were asleep.

The rain grew heavier, soaking their clothes. Xu Chengyao didn't care at all, humming a light tune to the sound of the pattering rain.

On the way there, the road seemed long and my feet ached, but the return trip was much faster. The carriage went directly into the palace gate, and from afar, I could see the Taiji Hall brightly lit and filled with people.

The scholars will probably be working all night tonight. Xu Chengyao stopped his horse and said to Luo An, "I'll go check on them. You go back and rest first."

Luo An opened his umbrella and left. Xu Chengyao made a face behind him and rushed towards the Taiji Hall in three strides.

At the entrance of the Taiji Hall, Meng Zhao, the head of the Imperial Academy, Fan Tong of the Memorial Office, and Yin Shi of the Imperial Household Department were discussing something. When they saw Xu Chengyao coming over, they all came up to greet him: "Your Highness, you're back?"

Xu Chengyao pulled Yin Shi along and pointed to two carriages in the Taiji Hall square: "Lord Yin, we have money now. Those two carriages are loaded with gold, silver, jewelry and banknotes. I estimate they are worth 300,000 taels."

Yin Shi was stunned: "Where did this come from?"

Only after confirming that Luo An was not there did Su Wuming stand up from under the table, hand the memorial in his hand to Zhang Mingzhi, and walk over, saying, "Did the First Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince earn this?"

Xu Chengyao recounted the story of Luo Anyong rescuing the young mistress of the Qian family like a storyteller, and also attributed the revival of Qian Xuelin to Luo Anyong, while omitting Aunt Feng and Qian Xuehai.

Finally, Xu Chengyao exclaimed, "Brother Crown Prince is even more amazing than a god. He accurately predicted the Qian family's troubles and easily saved the entire family of four."

That young master Qian is so foolishly generous. If I hadn't stopped him, he would have even given us the jewelry that Mrs. Qian had treasured.

One was a highly skilled doctor, the other treated money like dirt, so we ended up earning this much. It's like saying, "Heaven wasn't cooperating, but things were wonderful."

Xu Chengyao spoke with great enthusiasm, while the listeners fell silent: Was Luo An going to seek medical treatment, or to rob someone? Or was he using the guise of seeking medical treatment to actually rob someone?

The Qian family is one of the wealthiest merchants in Qinzhou; they know they're rich. It's normal for doctors to charge consultation fees, and it's understandable that highly skilled doctors charge higher fees.

Because the doctor's superb medical skills saved the family, the wealthy merchant family offered their entire fortune, which the doctor accepted without hesitation. There was no precedent for this in history.

The adults, who were not present at the scene, could hardly imagine the scene of the Qian family willingly handing over all their assets.