Born to Be Either Rich or Noble - Chapter 20

The tragedy struck too suddenly.

Cui Wanzhong’s eyes were still following his wife’s retreating back. Because of her long illness, her body had grown frail—so weak that she looked as if even the wind could knock her down.

As if she might collapse at any moment.

And sometimes, the very thing one fears most happens the instant it crosses the heart.

When he saw her suddenly go limp in Qian Tong’s arms, Cui Wanzhong’s chest tightened, and he instinctively rushed forward. “A-Ling—!”

“Cut the gangplank!” Qian Tong’s voice was hoarse, torn from grief and fury. She didn’t want to hear that sickening voice ever again. “Pull back!”

As soon as she spoke, the wooden plank connecting the two ships was hoisted high into the air, severing the last bridge between them.

Cui Wanzhong shouted anxiously, “A-Ling!” What had happened to her?

Qian Tong raised her head. Her bloodshot eyes fixed coldly on the man standing at the edge of his deck, his expression feigning sorrow. Her hatred burned through every word: “She already promised me she would divorce you. She went to see you—so why did you bring up the past?”

Her voice shook with anger. “Back then, when you saved her, was it just to use her for this day? So she could buy you another chance at life, let you crawl away like a coward?”

“Cui Wanzhong! What did she ever do to you? You already have a concubine and children—why did you still have to take her away?”

“That’s not true…” A new voice cut in abruptly.

It was Chunliu, the maid who had always served beside Madam Cui.

She had followed her mistress from Yangzhou to the sea, believing that once they reached the Qian family’s ship, her lady would finally be safe. Who could have guessed that her mistress would choose instead to trade her life for peace?

“The child isn’t the Young Master’s!” Chunliu’s fellow maid, Chuntao, broke down completely. Her wails tore across the waves as she screamed toward Cui Wanzhong. “My lady knew everything! She knew the child wasn’t yours. When you saved her back then, she already knew—you would never have a child of your own. And yet, when you came to propose, she still said yes.”

“That night on your wedding, the incense you burned, the poisons you used to disguise your weakness—she knew it all! When you protected your reputation and pushed her out alone to bear the shame, she carried all the pain for you! Every bowl of that bitter medicine she drank was to repay the life you once saved her with!”

The two ships drifted farther and farther apart, yet Chunliu’s raw, anguished voice carried clearly across the open water.

The truth struck like thunder.

Even the men of the Cui family were stunned speechless. After a brief silence, one of his subordinates hurried forward to whisper, “Young Master, we must focus on the bigger picture. The madam is gone. Things look grim—Seventh Miss Qian has hatred in her heart. She won’t let us go easily…”

Cui Wanzhong stood motionless, as if his soul had left him. His face was ghostly pale—like something washed colorless by the waves.

The Qian family’s ship was sailing away fast. The crew had no time to hesitate; they grabbed him by the arms and dragged him toward safety. “Retreat! Pull back! Ready the bows and ammunition—!”

Qian Tong watched them with eyes like cold steel.

Her heart ached so fiercely it felt ready to burst. Her sister had lived another ten years—but for what? Those years were nothing but suffering.

And all because she had met that vile man, Cui Wanzhong.

A nest of cowards, every one of them. Let them all die.

Across the sea, the Cui men scrambled to ready their weapons. A battle was seconds away from erupting.

Qian Tong slowly reached into her robes and drew out a signal flare. Her voice cut sharply through the chaos as she shouted her final words to Cui Wanzhong: “Cui Wanzhong! You’ve seen fireworks before, haven’t you? Tonight, the Qian family will give you one more show!”

The moment the words fell, a brilliant streak shot up from above her head. The dazzling flare split the darkness, painting the night sky in bursts of crimson light. The glow reflected off her face—her tear-reddened eyes glinting like sharpened blades.

In the distance, the dark sea was already surrounded by several government ships.

They had been watching for some time, expecting the Qian and Cui families to start fighting. But the ships had stayed locked together without firing a single shot.

The Four Great Clans often clashed in secret, but they were still connected in countless ways. If two houses suddenly joined forces, it could mean a larger conspiracy.

“My lord,” Wang Zhao asked cautiously, “should we act now?”

Their mission was clear: only by capturing the Cui family’s eldest son could they uncover the truth behind the smuggling.

The waters ahead belonged to the Park family. If Cui’s ships crossed into that zone, it would spark direct conflict between the government fleet and the Parks. They hadn’t reached that point yet.

Song Yunzhi hesitated, then gave the order. “Sound the drums. Warn the Qian family’s ship to come closer—”

He didn’t finish his sentence.

A sudden blaze of light burst from the distance, so bright it illuminated the entire sea. Colors exploded across the dark sky, gathering into a single shape—the unmistakable outline of a copper coin.

A signal flare. Which meant something catastrophic had happened.

Wang Zhao couldn’t tell if it came from the Cui family or the Qians—whether it was a cry for help or a declaration of war.

Song Yunzhi stared hard at the horizon. The instant the flare bloomed, his face changed. “Retreat! Now!”

Before the word had fully left his mouth, a deafening boom erupted.

One of Cui’s ships exploded in the black sea.

Before anyone could react, the unthinkable followed—one after another, ships burst apart in blinding fireballs. Flames lit up the night like a thousand stars, each explosion cascading into the next. The entire Cui fleet—eleven cargo ships—went up in a roaring blaze that turned the strait into a river of fire.

It was like daylight had descended upon the sea.

Thrown overboard, Shen Che thought he was about to die.

It had been his turn to stand night watch on the Cui family’s deck. He’d been watching the fireworks when the woman beside him—the thief—suddenly grabbed his collar and hissed, “Young Master Song, time to go!” Then she shoved him straight into the sea.

“You insolent—!”

The freezing saltwater swallowed his words. The chill pierced to his bones, and brine flooded his nose and mouth. He fought his way to the surface, coughing violently—only to hear another splash behind him.

He turned. The thief had jumped in after him.

Before he could curse her madness, she shoved a plank of wood toward him and shouted, “Grab on! Kick like your life depends on it—swim!”

Shen Che froze for a split second—then realized something was terribly wrong.

He clutched the wood, turned around—and saw the ship behind them erupt in flames. Shards of timber and iron rained down like hail, burning his neck with their heat while his legs stayed trapped in icy water.

Towering waves crashed over him. He could barely see, barely breathe.

On land, he might have fought back—dragged his enemy down with him if he must. But not here. Not in the sea.

He had no idea how long he swam. His limbs went numb, his chest burned as if it would burst.

Then a hand clamped down hard on the back of his neck.

He couldn’t fight anymore.

Father, Mother… your unfilial son goes first.

At least I die for my country. Don’t grieve for me. Aunt won’t call me useless anymore… And may the young lord survive, kill that thief, and avenge me.

Even several miles away, the government ships could feel the waves of heat rolling toward them.

Song Yunzhi’s face had gone dark as iron. Watching the burning wrecks of the Cui family’s fleet, he gave a curt order: “Seal off the waters. Capture Seventh Miss Qian alive.”

The amount of gunpowder used tonight, the sheer scale of destruction—both would shake the entire court.

Just how much power did that woman truly have?

Was she trying to set the heavens on fire?

And worse—every single one of Cui’s cargo ships had burned. The evidence of their smuggling was now nothing but ashes at the bottom of the sea.

At dawn, Wang Zhao’s ship intercepted the remaining Qian vessels.

He cupped his hands and shouted across the water, “By order of the Dali Temple (t/n: the imperial high court of justice), Seventh Miss Qian is to come aboard for questioning!”

But the person who emerged was not Qian Tong.

From within the cabin, Song Yunzhi watched quietly through a half-open window. He recognized the man immediately—one of Qian Tong’s four “guardian generals,” known as Ah Zhu. The name sounded feminine, but the man himself was tall, broad-shouldered, and rough as iron.

Ah Zhu stepped forward and dropped to one knee. “This humble servant greets the officers.”

He seemed puzzled as to why an official fleet would stop a fishing vessel, and asked politely, “Sirs, may I ask what orders you have for us?”

“This ship belongs to the Qian family?” Wang Zhao demanded.

“Yes, sir,” Ah Zhu replied. “I’m but a fisherman under their employ.”

“Where is Seventh Miss Qian?”

Ah Zhu froze. “Seventh Miss? She’s not on this ship. Why do the officers seek her? If you wish to find her, you can go directly to the Qian residence. Someone like her rarely leaves home.”

Not on board?

Wang Zhao wanted to glance toward Song Yunzhi but restrained himself. “The Cui family’s ships exploded last night. Was that the Qian family’s doing?”

“Impossible!” Ah Zhu exclaimed, as though genuinely horrified. “We’re just simple fishermen, sir! Honest folk. Even if we wanted to, we wouldn’t have the means…”

Wang Zhao let out a cold snort. “Then you claim you know nothing of what happened to the Cui fleet last night?”

“We know, of course,” Ah Zhu said quickly, his face twisting in grief. He fell to his knees, wailing, “The Cui family was wicked beyond words! My poor mistress—the First Madam—she was such a kind soul…”

“You don’t know, my lord,” he went on tearfully, “Before the incident, she had already planned to divorce him, but Young Master Cui refused. When they tried to flee, he secretly took her with him. We only learned of it at the last moment and chased after them—but it was too late. To escape the Cui family, the First Madam took poison. When Cui Wanzhong saw that she would rather die than follow him, he lost all hope… and killed himself for love.”

Utter nonsense.

Song Yunzhi couldn’t listen any longer. He sent a sharp signal to Wang Zhao outside.

“Search the ship.”