Chapter 39 The Descendant of the Grand Councilor

  "Just green leaves?"

  When the girl mentioned her own name, Qin Yang's heart moved. In his impression, it seemed that this surname was converted from a Han Chinese surname to a Manchu surname only in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and what left the deepest impression on him was Gong Yuzhi, the military minister of the Qing government at the end of its reign.

  Gong Zhaoyuan (1837-1900) was a high-ranking official of the Qing dynasty. His courtesy name was Ziliang. He was from the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner and rose through the ranks as a pen holder, eventually becoming the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. In 1877, he was rewarded for his role in exonerating Yang Naiwu and Xia Bai Cai (Yang Naiwu and Little White Cabbage case). In 1880, he became the governor of Guangdong's Huizhou and Jiaqing prefectures. The following year, he was promoted to be the surveillance commissioner of Jiangxi Province and later served as the provincial governor of Guangdong and Yunnan provinces. In 1885, he became the governor of Shanxi Province. In 1888, he was transferred to become the governor of Jiangsu Province. After the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, he was recommended for his pro-war views and entered the Grand Council as a candidate for the position of minister. During the coup d'etat launched by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1898, he strongly advocated for the removal of Emperor Guangxu from power and gained her trust. The following year, he went to Jiangnan, Guangdong, and other places under the pretext of raising funds, training troops, and cleaning up finances, but actually embezzled large amounts of money and spread treasonous rumors such as "it is better to give to foreign countries than to domestic slaves". When the Boxer Rebellion reached the outskirts of Beijing, he was sent to investigate the situation in Zhouzhou and other places. After returning to Beijing, he strongly advised Empress Dowager Cixi that the Boxers were harmless and could be used to fight against foreigners, advocating for the siege of foreign legations to achieve the goal of removing Emperor Guangxu from power. When the Eight-Nation Alliance captured Beijing, he followed Empress Dowager Cixi in her escape to Xi'an but died of illness along the way in Homa Town, Shanxi Province.

  After Gang Yi's death, the family quickly declined. With the success of the Xinhai Revolution, Lu Zonglin forced Puyi to move out of the imperial palace and the Qing government collapsed. The descendants of Gang Yi also disappeared without a trace. However, at that time, no one noticed this minor figure amidst internal troubles and external threats, with constant strife.

  Seeing Qin Yang's confusion, Geng Qingye just smiled faintly and didn't say anything more. Since the other party didn't mention it, Qin Yang also couldn't continue to ask further.

  The villagers suffered dozens of deaths in this turmoil, and more than a dozen women were insulted by Japanese soldiers. However, under the strong combat power of the special warfare team, these Japanese soldiers were all annihilated and none escaped, which can be considered as avenging the dead villagers.

  People are grateful to these soldiers who saved them and their village from the bottom of their hearts, and they invited the special forces to visit their homes. Some families with unmarried daughters even secretly asked Qin Yang to be a matchmaker.

  In turbulent times, it's best to have a man with such high martial arts skills to protect you naturally. Who knows when the little devils will come again? Moreover, special forces members are slender and tall, with a dignified appearance, plus that fierce masculine aura from the battlefield, which is very attractive to those young girls who are just beginning to develop feelings.

  Qin Yang felt helpless about the demands of these people. The special forces were a special group, and now was a time of war, how could they let the special forces be tied up? It wasn't that he didn't want to, but it just wasn't the right time. So he had no choice but to keep explaining, busy until after midnight, before finally sending those old villagers back home.

  He closed the door of the outer house and stretched his body. Qin Yang felt that dealing with these people was more tiring than fighting a war, not physically tired but mentally exhausted.

  "No wonder those politicians age so quickly, it turns out that socializing is so exhausting!" Qin Yang thought to himself as he took off his outer garment and threw it on the headboard, lying down on the bed.

  He reached out and pulled the quilt over his body, Qin Yang closed his eyes.

  He now lives in the house of the girl he saved tonight, but the host can't let the lifesaver live in the western wing where hay is stored, so he lives in the eastern wing.

  The east wing is also three rooms, one bright and two dark. As soon as you enter the door, it is a hall, with a pair of couplets hanging on the mountain wall in front of you, and there are two dark rooms on both sides. Qin Yang lived in one room on the east side, while other special warfare soldiers all moved into the Zhao family ancestral temple next door, where the space was spacious and could accommodate dozens of people with ease.

  Originally, the villagers wanted the warriors to disperse and live in different homes, but Qin Yang considered that the current situation was complicated and a battle could break out at any time. If they were dispersed in various homes, it would be difficult to gather in case of an emergency, so he politely declined everyone's kind invitation and instead concentrated everyone in the ancestral hall.

  He had originally wanted to go to the ancestral hall, but he couldn't resist Gang Qingye's enthusiastic invitation, so he ended up staying in the east wing of the Gang family house with Wan Lai Sheng. The two of them each occupied a room, with Qin Yang in the eastern one.

  Qin Yang closed his eyes, his mind racing rapidly as he thought about everything that had happened.

  The residence of Cong Qingye, in the entire village, except for the Zhao family's ancestral hall, should be one of the best. However, in such a large courtyard, only Cong Qingye and an old servant live there. From Cong Qingye's words and deeds, it can be seen that she is not an ordinary rural girl, but rather someone who has received good education. In such a remote mountain village, the sudden appearance of someone so out of place with their surroundings cannot help but arouse Qin Yang's suspicion.

  "Could it be her......?" A fleeting thought flashed through Qin Yang's mind, as if he had grasped something.

  The door of the house moved slightly, and then came the sound of the wooden door axle rotating in the stone hinge. The two wooden doors were pushed open with a creak, as if someone had walked in from outside.

  Qin Yang lay motionless on the bed, his right hand grasping a German-made mirror-finish pistol, his eyes narrowed in wait.

  The footsteps stopped for a moment in the main room, then walked towards Wan Lai's room. Qin Yang listened carefully with his ear to the side. As for Wan Lai, he was very at ease, thinking that sneaking up on him would be no easier than bare-handedly killing a mad bear.

  A low murmur of voices came over, as if the sound of a thousand whispers was speaking to someone, and then the footsteps sounded again, walking towards my own room.

  The door curtain was gently lifted, and a slender figure walked in.

  Under the dim light of the oil lamp, Qin Yang looked through his slightly opened eyes and saw the person who came.

  Willow-leaf eyebrows, a pair of bright black apricot kernel eyes, long eyelashes flashing with each blink, a long braid hanging down from the back of the head, the end of the braid tied with a ribbon that hangs down past the hips, swaying left and right with each step.

  The person who came was the master of this house, Qing Ye.

  Jiang Qingye held a large blue-flowered bowl in her hand, and the bowl was filled with something that was emitting hot air. She quickly walked to the table and put the bowl on it.

  He turned around and looked at Qin Yang, who was silent with his eyes closed. Jian Qingye seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still didn't make a sound, and turned to walk out the door.

  As she walked to the door and lifted the curtain with her hand, Qin Yang's voice came from behind.

  "Now that you're here, why don't you speak up? You clearly know I'm not asleep!" Qin Yang's voice was icy.

  Jiang Qingye turned around and saw that Qin Yang had already sat up in bed, his right hand holding a black and shiny pistol that sparkled with cold light under the lamp.

  Jiang Qingye walked back calmly and stood in front of Qin Yang, looking at him quietly.

  The pistol spun like a windmill between his fingers and then was inserted into his waist. Qin Yang jumped down from the bed, throwing off the quilt.

  He pointed to the chairs on both sides of the Eight Immortals table and Qin Yang sat down.

  Jiang Qingye glanced at Qin Yang who was staring at her and sat down on the other side with a calm demeanor.

  "Go ahead, what do you want to know?" said Qing Ye as soon as she sat down.

  In fact, Qin Yang's suspicion had already been seen by her, so she invited them to stay at her home, just to dispel their doubts.

  Qin Yang didn't expect Qing Ye to be so direct, and he couldn't help but laugh. He took a look at the big bowl on the table filled with lotus seed porridge, then picked up the bowl and took a sip, praising: "Delicious, your cooking skills are really good!"

  The young green leaves had a faint red flush on their faces.

  Qin Yang put down his bowl and stared at Gang Qingye: "You learned this skill from the Wang Manor, didn't you?"

  The young green leaves suddenly lifted their heads, and their eyes flashed for a moment without speaking.

  Qin Yang didn't wait for her response, but instead continued to ask: "If I'm not mistaken, you were originally a noble lady, even a relative of royalty, and you must have come to this small mountain village to escape something?"

  A series of questions made Qing Ye's face flash with a hint of panic, but she quickly calmed down and looked at Qin Yang calmly.

  Qin Yang nodded secretly, it seemed that Geng Qingye's mental quality was quite good, able to calm down quickly in unexpected situations.

  Taking a deep breath, Qin Yang asked his final question: "I think you are the descendant of Gao Yi, aren't you?"

  The atmosphere fell into a heavy silence.

  Qin Yang stared at Gang Qing Ye, and Gang Qing Ye also stared at Qin Yang.

  After a long silence, Geng Qingye smiled suddenly, and the smile dispelled some of the solemnity in the room. She stood up: "I am Geng Qingye, the great-granddaughter of Geng Yu!"

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