As Lin Qingge hesitated, the old man spoke again, "Your Excellency, please do not worry. All the banknotes in this cloth pouch are rewards and prize money earned by Brother Chu from playing Cuju."
"Banknotes?"
Lin Qingge quickly untied the small cloth pouch. What met her eyes was a stack of rather substantial... banknotes?
With a bewildered expression, Lin Qingge skeptically examined the banknotes inside and out, but found no familiar sheepskin fragments.
Following this, she persistently asked, "If your Brother Chu is perfectly fine, why did he leave these banknotes with you?"
"Brother Chu said he was being targeted by his enemies, so he temporarily entrusted these banknotes to this humble servant for any unforeseen needs."
"Besides these banknotes, was there anything else?"
The old man recalled, "Other than that... there seemed to be a letter."
"Where is the letter?"
The old man once again fumbled under the pillow with his trembling hand and then produced a yellowed letter.
Feeling as if there were a black hole under the old man's pillow, Lin Qingge took the letter, opened it, and examined it repeatedly. Finally, on one side inside the envelope, she discovered the familiar sheepskin fragment.
The sheepskin fragment seemed to be adhered to the inner side of the envelope. Because the paper used for the envelope was rather rough and thick, it was very difficult to discover it purely by touch.
And the old man on the bed was clearly not a meticulous person. This tactic of hiding in plain sight was indeed brilliant.
Lin Qingge did not rush to take out the sheepskin fragment. Instead, she directly tucked the envelope into her sleeve. Then, she rubbed her fingers together and counted the stack of banknotes. There were over a hundred thousand taels.
"Since there are so many banknotes, why give them to me, an outsider, instead of using them to revitalize the Cuju Hall?"
Hearing Lin Qingge's question, the old man answered with difficulty:
"Just one small Cuju Hall caused conflict between their brothers. If they were to learn that this humble servant possessed such a large sum of money, a fight would be the least of it. If by chance something unfortunate were to happen, how could this humble servant explain it to their deceased mother?"
Feeling that the old man had some self-awareness, Lin Qingge also tucked the banknotes into her sleeve. "I can agree to your request, and I will also accept these banknotes.
However, these banknotes are not for my personal enrichment but will be used as donations to prepare for this Cuju tournament.
As you know, this Cuju tournament will be held in Fengtian Prefecture.
At that time, I will promote Qi Yun She as the exclusive sponsor of the Cuju tournament, meaning the primary financial contributor for its preparation.
I hope this can lend a hand to your declining Cuju Hall."
The old man, who had intended to bribe her with money, was astonished that the newly appointed Prefect was so unconventional. He immediately shed tears of emotion, "This humble servant, on behalf of the ancestors of the Yu family, thanks Lord Lin! Our Yu family will never forget your great kindness, Lord Lin!"
...
Although she could understand what the old man meant, perhaps because she had transmigrated, Lin Qingge found his words rather jarring.
But a promise made is a promise kept.
After a few more words with the old man, Lin Qingge left the room and called the three Yu brothers to her. "Your father just said he wants to gift this Qi Yun She to me."
"What?! Is our father senile? How can he give Qi Yun She to an outsider?"
The impetuous third son, Yu Bai, couldn't help but protest. Although the other two brothers remained silent, their expressions conveyed similar sentiments.
"I am not interested in this Qi Yun She. It was your father's repeated pleas that made me reluctantly accept it.
However, my ambition does not lie here, nor am I skilled in management. Therefore, I will hand over Qi Yun She to you three brothers to manage.
I will pay you a monthly salary based on your daily performance.
Also, do not think that I am taking advantage of you. Your father told me everything.
Given Qi Yun She's current deficit, I will likely have to use my own money to pay your salaries.
In other words, I have taken on this hot potato that is Qi Yun She.
If you three brothers do not work together and achieve something in this Cuju tournament, then pack your bags and go back to your hometown to farm!"
This was what Lin Qingge had just discussed with the old man.
Since the biggest problem for the three brothers was the inheritance dispute, the inheritance would cease to be a problem.
At the same time, she would create a common enemy for them.
This way, the three brothers could temporarily put aside their differences and work together.
Although Great Xia explicitly stipulated that officials were not allowed to engage in business, officials had families and relatives. Therefore, no one would be foolish enough to make an issue out of this.
Upon hearing Lin Qingge's words, the three Yu brothers, though still showing dissatisfaction, did not say anything further.
Because they understood that what Lord Lin said was the truth. They, the three brothers, knew the situation of Qi Yun She best.
To say it was running at a deficit was an understatement; it was more accurate to say they were struggling to even make ends meet.
"By the way, Advisor Hua, please invite Doctor Murong... to come and examine Old Yu later."
Lin Qingge had intended to say "coroner," but thinking it might be inauspicious to have a coroner examine an old man on his deathbed, she changed her words mid-sentence.
The reason she asked Murong Bai to examine the old man was twofold: Firstly, she observed that the old man's thoughts were clear and organized, and there were no obvious signs of illness on his face, only weakness and shortness of breath. Secondly, despite the old man having been bedridden for a long time, there was no trace of medicinal soup smell in the room.
To put it simply, the old man might have indeed been unwell before, but it was a minor ailment. However, due to the lack of effective treatment and malnutrition, it had progressed to its current state.
She was not a doctor, and the above was merely her personal conjecture, which was why she asked Hua Jinrong to find Murong Bai.
But to have borne three sons and yet not have anyone to fetch medicine for him was truly tragic...
However, this Old Yu was also a man with a peculiar thought process. He would rather suffer from illness himself than take out the huge sum of money hidden under his pillow, and instead gave it all to an outsider like her?
While she was happy to receive the money, she truly couldn't agree with his actions.
Since he had so much money, why did he have to endure such hardship at home instead of traveling and enjoying the scenery? Perhaps he could even find a lonely old lady to accompany him?
Thinking that Qi Yun She's accounts were empty, Lin Qingge casually added, "As for the consultation fee, please charge it to my mentor, Lord Xu."
The Cuju tournament was originally a mess left by Xu Changling. It wasn't excessive to spend a little money, was it?
"By the way, do you usually live in this Qi Yun She?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, we, along with the disciples who come to learn Cuju, sleep in the side rooms in the back courtyard."
"And what about your families?"
It wasn't that Lin Qingge asked for no reason. At twenty-seven years old, in this era, one was considered middle-aged. Usually, children could already help with chores.
However, after searching the front hall and back courtyard for so long, she hadn't seen a single female family member, which struck her as odd.
The three Yu brothers exchanged glances, and finally, the eldest, Yu Wan, stepped forward to answer:
"Reporting to Your Excellency, this humble servant's father said that only by maintaining a virgin body can one run longer and with greater stamina on the field. Therefore, the male descendants of the Yu family do not marry until after the age of thirty-five."
Hearing for the first time that maintaining a virgin body had such an exaggerated effect, Lin Qingge suddenly understood why the national football team in her previous life was not performing well...