Chapter Two: Kicking Someone When They're Down

“Lin You, you bastard!”
Wu, her face flushed with rage, cursed at Lin You, whose expression was nothing but a cold sneer filled with disdain and mockery.
“And all of you—a pack of ungrateful wolves!”
She pointed at the business partners standing behind Lin You and shouted, “When the Qin family was in its prime, each of you scrambled to bring us money and join hands with us!
Now that disaster has struck, not only do you refuse to lend a hand, you can’t wait for our ruin!”
Wu was so furious her whole body trembled, barely able to remain standing. Qin Song hurried to support her.
Regaining his composure, Qin Song’s gaze turned frosty as he committed every one of their faces to memory.
“Madam Qin, we could tolerate a brief delay in our orders!”
“But with your workshop burned down, it’s impossible to resume production anytime soon. Without the fabric, we can’t fulfill our clients’ orders!”
“We’re all small traders, with dozens of people depending on these textiles to feed their families!”
“That’s right, Madam Qin, we have no choice!”
A particularly rotund man now stepped out to explain, and the others quickly chimed in.
Looking at their aggrieved expressions, one might almost think they were the ones suffering loss.
“Nonsense!”
Wu tore away their masks of hypocrisy and snapped, “If we can’t deliver the Qin family’s orders, we’re bound by contract to pay triple compensation!”
“You jackals, you’re all here today just to claim that penalty!”
The corpulent man was called Tang Ze. Though he had done much business with the Qin family over the years, he had always been forced to play second fiddle.
Since Wu had exposed him, Tang Ze didn’t bother to pretend anymore. “And so what if we are?” he replied bluntly.
“Now the whole of Yuezhou knows the Qin family’s merchant ships were plundered by river bandits. Not only did your family head perish, even the tribute silks for His Majesty were destroyed!”
“Those silks are painstaking to make—there’s no way to produce them in time!”
“And if His Majesty demands an explanation, your family will bear the consequences. Don’t even think of dragging us down with you!”
“Exactly!”
“Continuing to associate with you is a dead end!”
Tang Ze’s words sparked a chorus of agreement.
Facing their scorn and ridicule, Wu’s face turned crimson with anger.
“Steward Qian!”
At this moment, Qin Song spoke up.
“Young master!”
Steward Qian, housekeeper of the Qin residence, seemed startled but quickly composed himself.
“Take these ungrateful wolves to the back and give them their compensation!”
“Our Qin family is still substantial enough to pay even triple the penalty!”
“Young master!”
The words made Qian shudder—paying out all those compensations would gut at least half the Qin family’s fortune.
“Do it now!”
“Once they have the money, throw them all out. The Qin family will never welcome them again!”
Qin Song’s cold gaze swept over Steward Qian, his bearing exuding an unprecedented authority.
“Steward Qian, did you not hear my son?”
“From today, my son is the new head of the Qin family!”
Seeing Qian hesitate, Wu grew angry and declared her stance then and there.
“Yes, madam!”
With Wu’s order, Qian had nothing left to say.
“Gentlemen, come with me!”
Turning away, he regarded the dozen or so men with cold eyes.
“Heavens, Qin Yuanhuai may be dead, but how can this useless son take charge?”
“This truly spells the end for the Qin family!”
“Hmph, without Qin Zhong as their backer, do you think they can survive this crisis?”
Qin Song’s assumption of control drew sneers from the crowd—even the Qin family’s own servants wore mixed expressions and harbored their own thoughts.
“Gentlemen!”
Qin Song faced their derision with an icy expression. “Thirty years of fortune on one side, thirty on the other—fortune’s wheel is ever turning!
Though the Qin family is struck by calamity today, a day will come when we rise again!
Here before my father’s coffin, I swear this: so long as I live, the Qin family will never fall!
When that day comes, even if you bring money and beg on your knees at our gates, we will never let you in!”
“A brat who reeks of milk, who spends his days in brothels and taverns, dares to make such boasts?”
“Even your uncle couldn’t save the Qin family now!”
No sooner had Qin Song finished than Lin You’s mocking voice rang out.
Lin You, face full of scorn, continued, “I have another matter to address today!”
“Father!”
Just as Lin You was about to speak, Lin Wanqing interjected. “Didn’t we agree to come pay respects to Uncle Qin today? Why...”
As she spoke, Lin Wanqing glanced at Qin Song and Wu, her expression conflicted.
“I, too, have something to say to Lord Lin!”
Before Lin Wanqing could finish, Qin Song spoke first. “Today, I am here to dissolve my engagement!”
At these words, all were struck dumb—Lin You and Lin Wanqing herself stared at Qin Song in astonishment.
“What’s this?”
Qin Song let out a cold laugh. “As I recall, three years ago, when Lord Lin was appointed Prefect of Yuezhou, you begged my family to arrange this marriage before the city’s elite and my late father.”
“Betrothal gifts were exchanged; by rights, Miss Lin is my wife.”
“But I never agreed to this marriage!”
“After all, who would wish to wed a block of ice?”
Qin Song’s gaze was cold and mocking as it fell on Lin Wanqing.
“Qin Song, you...”
Though she had gotten her way, she was still furious at the humiliation of having Qin Song reject her so publicly.
“Qin Song, have you been struck senseless?”
Lin You was astonished by Qin Song’s uncharacteristically bold behavior, though in his eyes, nothing Qin Song did could avert the family’s ruin.
“Lin You!”
Just then, Wu, having recovered herself, cursed at Lin You, “Lin You, you heartless cur!”
“Who was it, more than twenty years ago, destitute in the bitter cold, who survived only because of the Qin family’s charity?”
“Who was it, embarking for the capital with not a coin to his name, whose way was paid by the Qin family?”
“Who, for years after passing the civil service exam, was but a dog at others’ heels, used and discarded as they pleased?”
“If not for the Qin family’s support, could you ever have become Prefect of Yuezhou?”
“Now that calamity has struck, instead of offering help, you come to pour salt in our wounds—on the very day of my husband’s funeral!”
“Madam Qin!”
Lin You met her curses with cold disdain. “A wise bird chooses its tree. With your family on the verge of destruction, the Lin family will not perish with you!”
“As for your so-called support, I admit you helped me before I entered government.”
“But after I became an official, do you know how your family treated me?”
Lin You’s mind conjured scenes from decades past—his own youthful ambitions stifled, his repeated attempts to apprentice under Qin Zhong rebuffed.
It was only after much pleading that he was accepted, and then promptly exiled to the frontier for years with a single order.
“What are you implying, Lin You?”
His sudden outburst left Qin Song and Wu dumbfounded.
“I became Prefect of Yuezhou without a hint of your family’s support!”
“If not for...”
He caught himself in time, changing his tone to a cold sneer. “Qin Song, do you really think you can continue lording it over Yuezhou, untouchable as ever?”
Lin You’s face was dark as he fixed his mocking, pitying gaze on Qin Song.