Tuqiu Yue’s arrival was rather sudden, leaving everyone quite astonished. Tuqiu Dun immediately said, “No.”
Tuqiu Yue, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, replied calmly, “Then you can serve your three-year sentence.”
With that, he turned and left, his retreating figure appearing quite carefree, as if his mention of adoption had been nothing more than a casual, spur-of-the-moment remark.
Upon hearing “three-year sentence,” Tuqiu Dun shuddered and stepped forward, reaching out a hand. “Wait.”
Tuqiu Yue stopped but did not turn around, merely tilting his head slightly. “What? Changed your mind?”
After a moment of hesitation, Tuqiu Dun said, “I’ve heard that the Qin state has very strict requirements for adoption. Are you truly planning to adopt the eldest son?”
Tuqiu Yue replied, “There’s no need for you to worry about that. I have my own methods. Take your time to consider it. Tomorrow, I will send Yu Jing here once more, but only this once.”
As Tuqiu Yue finished speaking, the slave-official behind him stepped forward and nodded slightly to Tuqiu Dun. It was only then that Tuqiu Jiu learned this slave-official was named Yu Jing.
Tuqiu Yue left with Yu Jing. Only after their figures had completely disappeared did Tuqiu Dun frown and glance at Tuqiu Jiu, who was standing nearby.
Tuqiu Jiu immediately grew alert, swaying a couple of times before slowly sliding down to sit against the wall, looking as though he might breathe his last at any moment.
Tuqiu Dun frowned. “So useless. Why would Tuqiu Yue want to adopt him?”
His stepmother stepped forward excitedly. “Husband, why not let the official choose between our second and third sons?”
Tuqiu Dun immediately glared at her. “What nonsense are you talking?”
Beside them, Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei also protested, “Mother, we don’t want to be adopted!”
The stepmother patted her two sons. “You don’t understand. Don’t speak out of turn!”
Then she turned to her husband and said gently, “I know what concerns you, husband. But think about it—that official already holds the Fifth-Rank Peerage, which is no ordinary status. According to Qin law, his descendants can inherit the peerage with a two-rank reduction. Since he wants to adopt, he must have no biological sons. Whether it’s our second or third son, whoever is adopted will surely become his designated heir. What’s wrong with that?”
Listening nearby, Tuqiu Jiu couldn’t help but twitch his lips. His stepmother’s mind worked quickly. While Tuqiu Dun hadn’t even considered this angle, she had immediately analyzed the stakes.
The “designated heir” she referred to was the term used in this era for an official or commoner’s recognized successor. Only after being formally established as the heir under the government’s witness could someone be called a designated heir—not all sons were eligible.
Clearly, the stepmother had her eyes on Tuqiu Yue’s peerage. In her view, if her son were adopted, he would inherit the title. Even with a reduction in rank, he would at least become a Zanniao, a status far above that of ordinary commoners. To her, this was an incredible opportunity.
Naturally, Tuqiu Dun was also tempted, but he still hesitated. “Both the second and third sons are my own. How could I give them up for adoption?”
Once adopted, they would become Tuqiu Yue’s sons. He didn’t have many sons—only these two—so how could he bear to give them away?
As for Tuqiu Jiu, he had never given him a second thought, not even treating him as his own son. If he had truly regarded him as his son, he would never have treated him this way.
The stepmother whispered, “Husband, the second and third sons are truly the better choices. The eldest son’s heart is as cold as ice and iron. All these years, I’ve poured my heart out to him, yet I’ve never received a word of gratitude. If he were adopted, he would surely ignore us. But the second and third sons… we are, after all, their biological parents. No matter what, they would not abandon us.”
After hearing this, Tuqiu Dun realized—yes, after adoption, they would become the sons of a senior official. Perhaps then they could even help their biological father secure a noble rank.
After all, they had now fallen to the status of commoners, even worse off than ordinary commoners because they were originally from the state of Han. The Qin state imposed stricter control and greater distrust upon them.
Beside them, Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei were still somewhat unwilling. Who would want to change parents for no reason? Moving to an unfamiliar environment might not be as comfortable as their current life.
Having persuaded her husband, the stepmother saw that her sons were unhappy and began to persuade them as well: “Don’t be foolish. After adoption, you will be the sons of an official. It’s very likely you’ll be exempted from Gengzu. Do you really want to perform Gengzu every year?”
Gengzu was the corvée labor system during the Qin period. According to regulations, each household had to send one man to serve for one month every year, and Gengzu was separate from military service—meaning they would still have to serve in the military when conscripted.
Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei immediately fell silent. They knew a little about the Gengzu system and naturally did not want to serve. If they could avoid it, it might not be such a bad idea.
However, Tuqiu Zhi said seriously, “But the senior official only wants to adopt one person. Wouldn’t that separate us brothers?”
These twins had hardly been apart since birth. Although they occasionally quarreled, the thought of suddenly being separated was hard to accept.
Tuqiu Dun snorted coldly, “You are still young. There will always be opportunities to reunite.”
Hearing this, the stepmother knew her husband had agreed and felt much more at ease. She began to comfort her sons in detail, emphasizing that no matter who was chosen, the other must not harbor resentment. They were biological brothers and should support each other.
Leaning against the wall, Tuqiu Jiu closed his eyes to rest. The pain in his body was impossible to ignore, making sleep out of the question, so he overheard the entire conversation of the family of four.
He couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. This family had no real skills, but their ability to indulge in wishful thinking was remarkable. Did they really think Tuqiu Yue was begging them for adoption?
That man was an official in the Qin judicial system. Based on the known information, Tuqiu Yue had essentially run away from home, leaving the state of Han for Qin, and had worked his way up to become a senior official. Did they really think he was a fool?
Although he didn’t know why Tuqiu Yue wanted to adopt him, Tuqiu Jiu was already prepared to watch these people make fools of themselves tomorrow.
Yu Jing arrived only after lunch the next day. By then, Tuqiu Dun had been eagerly awaiting him. Upon seeing Yu Jing, he said joyfully, “You’ve finally come. Please inform the senior official that… I agree to the adoption.”
Tuqiu Jiu thought to himself: This man is still playing games, not mentioning the exact name.
However, Yu Jing, who served by Tuqiu Yue’s side, was clearly no fool. He repeated the question, “So you agree to the adoption of the eldest son, Tuqiu Jiu, by my master?”
Tuqiu Dun paused and said with a smile, “This… cannot be. The eldest son is dull by nature and likely unfit to be the designated heir. I ask the nobleman to choose between the second and third sons for adoption.”
Yu Jing looked at him calmly and said, “Before this servant came, the nobleman specifically instructed that if it is not the eldest son, then there will be no adoption.”
Tuqiu Dun frowned. He did not understand why Tuqiu Yue had taken a liking to Tuqiu Jiu. In his eyes, Tuqiu Jiu was clearly weak in health, foolish and dull, and narrow-minded. Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei were naturally a hundred times better than the eldest son.
He explained, “It is not that I intend to change the person. The second and third sons are indeed far superior to the eldest son. I am also thinking of the nobleman’s interests.”
Although Yu Jing was a slave-official, he was not without his own thoughts. He had followed along when they went to the Li family’s villa earlier and witnessed from beginning to end how Tuqiu Jiu discovered those subtle clues and overturned the case.
In his view, Tuqiu Jiu was not as worthless as this man claimed. As for the other two… they were muddle-headed and nearly became scapegoats; they could not simply be described as foolish.
If his master intended to adopt one of the twins, he, as a loyal servant, would oppose it with all his might.
Yu Jing’s thoughts raced, but his tone remained calm: “This servant acts as the master commands. The master knew you might have thoughts of changing the person and repeatedly instructed that if it is not the eldest son, this matter will be dropped.”
Tuqiu Dun, his petty scheme exposed, could not help but flare up in shame and anger: “He is deliberately making things difficult for me!”
A rare, mocking smile appeared on Yu Jing’s typically expressionless face: “If the master intended to make things difficult, I fear your entire family would already be on their way to the Yellow Springs!”
Tuqiu Dun choked, only then remembering that the other party was now an official of the Qin state, not someone a commoner like him could contend with.
Yu Jing stood up and said, “Since you insist on changing the person, this matter ends here. Farewell.”
Tuqiu Dun grew anxious and immediately said, “I agree, I agree! Let the eldest son be adopted!”
His current wife, standing beside him, now understood that their plan had been foiled. She hated Tuqiu Jiu intensely, thinking to herself that even if they needed to pay a ransom to atone for the crime, it would take some time. Once they were out, she could simply have her husband go back on his word.
Unexpectedly, Yu Jing nodded and said, “Very well. I will report back to the master immediately. The master has already prepared the documents and will later invite the county magistrate to personally update the household registry.”
Upon hearing this, the stepmother’s heart sank. She had not expected the other party to act so decisively and efficiently.
She gritted her teeth in secret, thinking fiercely to herself that in that case, they could only have Tuqiu Jiu die in prison. As long as Tuqiu Jiu died, the matter would naturally be void.
She no longer cared about the noble rank; she simply could not allow Tuqiu Jiu to be truly adopted. Otherwise, how could their family have good days in the future?
She had always put on a good show, and others might think she had a motherly heart toward Tuqiu Jiu. But she knew very well what she had done and naturally feared Tuqiu Jiu attaining a high position even more.
She just did not know how long it would take to pay the ransom and whether there would be enough time to act.
If she had known it would come to this, she should not have kept Tuqiu Jiu alive all those years to showcase her virtue. She should have strangled him when he was young and done with it!
Tuqiu Jiu was unaware that his stepmother had already conceived murderous intent. He only felt a sudden chill and grew alert, quietly shifting to the side, fearing that the mother and her two sons, their scheme thwarted, might suddenly turn violent.
He now had a new path forward. It would be too unjust if he were to perish here by accident.
Yu Jing clearly shared the same concern, so he asked Zhi Yuli to keep an eye on things while he went back to report.
With Zhi Yuli present, no matter how resentful Tuqiu Dun and his stepmother felt, it was useless. They could only glare at Tuqiu Jiu from the side as if he were an enemy.
The stepmother was worried about being retaliated against, while Tuqiu Dun’s feelings were far more complicated. His eldest son, whom he had always looked down upon, had suddenly risen to become the son of an official. This left him feeling extremely unbalanced. In the future, he would even have to bow to his own son when they met—the thought alone made him deeply uncomfortable.
Tuqiu Jiu sat quietly to the side, beginning to worry about something new.
Throughout this entire affair, he had been entirely passive, which left him feeling uneasy. Moreover, he didn’t know Tuqiu Yue’s character well, so he couldn’t tell whether this adoption would turn out for better or worse.
Based on his previous interactions with Tuqiu Yue, the man seemed like a good person, but a good person wasn’t necessarily a good father.
After all, Tuqiu Dun didn’t appear as vicious and cruel in front of outsiders as he truly was.
Thinking this way, perhaps the three years of Guixin (Ghost-fuel/Penal servitude) could serve as a buffer, giving him time to learn more about Tuqiu Yue’s family situation.
Just as Tuqiu Jiu was lost in these thoughts, Yu Jing approached and whispered a few words to Zhi Yuli. Zhi Yuli then turned to Tuqiu Jiu and Tuqiu Dun and said, “Both of you, come with me.”
The stepmother anxiously tugged at Tuqiu Dun’s sleeve, but he waved her off and stood up to leave.
Tuqiu Jiu waited until he had left before following, walking with his body slightly turned to keep one eye on the stepmother and the two little brats, just in case.
Seeing him clutching his side and moving slowly, Yu Jing hurried over to support him. Tuqiu Jiu smiled at him and said, “Thank you.”
Yu Jing quickly replied, “This is but a servant’s duty.”
Now that Tuqiu Jiu’s adoption was all but finalized, he would be one of Yu Jing’s masters. With the matter settled, Yu Jing’s attitude toward Tuqiu Jiu had shifted accordingly.
The two of them made their way to the main hall, where the County Magistrate and Tuqiu Yue were sitting opposite each other, chatting and laughing. When they arrived, the County Magistrate immediately ordered the documents brought forward and said to Tuqiu Dun, “If you have no objections, sign here.”
Tuqiu Jiu glanced at the documents. They were made of wooden boards, with characters carved into them using a knife and brush. Just one look was enough to tell how much effort had gone into writing them.
Ink likely existed in this era, but it was clearly too precious—not only for ordinary households but even for basic administrative use.
Once life settled down, perhaps papermaking could be put on the agenda. He wondered if it could be exchanged for a noble rank. Even if not, selling it for money would be good—it should fetch a high price.
Lost in these thoughts, Tuqiu Jiu leaned forward slightly to see what was written on the documents. But when he saw the characters, he froze in place—he couldn’t understand a single word.
At this time, the Qin state still used Small Seal Script. Some of the characters looked slightly similar to modern simplified Chinese, but he couldn’t be sure if they were the same.
Most of them, however, were completely unfamiliar. He might have been able to read traditional Chinese characters, but Small Seal Script was beyond his abilities.
Still, he had another set of memories. These memories had already allowed him to understand the previously incomprehensible Qin dialect and even adjusted his accent. Surely reading characters wouldn’t be a problem either.
To his utter dismay, his mind was completely blank. Only then did he remember that the original owner had been harshly treated since childhood and had never been allowed to study or learn to read.
So now he had become a genuine illiterate?
Author’s Note:
Tuqiu Jiu: After studying for so many years, to become illiterate overnight—I can’t bear this injustice! Cat covering face in sorrow.jpg