Imperial Treasure

Chapter 604 - 394: Funeral

Chapter 394

"Miss, the master had been nearing the end of his practice, his oil spent and the lamp burnt out, it was only his concern for you that kept him holding on until now. Seeing you return safely and having arranged everything, he passed away peacefully. You needn’t be sad..."

The people around her were all saying this to comfort her. Gong Jiu wiped her face and, seeing the relatives such as Aunties from the Ye family arriving, finally nodded her head.

She was not alone, not when her parents died years ago, and not now.

And now she needed to take over the huge responsibility of managing the Gong family.

Crying weakly was not her style.

(Actually, as you might have already known, Gong Jiu is now the only true bloodline of the Gong family, also connected to the Dragon Leading Plate, and is a part of the ancient tomb; her parents or perhaps her real grandfather were all killed... But there are some things she’ll never know in her lifetime.)

——————

Lin Yun and the others were somewhat caught off-guard by the sudden death of the old patriarch of the Gong family, but fortunately, the old patriarch had arranged everything beforehand. Plus, Gong Jiu was not a coward, having consolidated her own power over the years, thus the initial instability was quickly suppressed...

On the day of the funeral, quite a few media personnel had gathered outside the Gong Family Ancestral Home, camping out and waiting. The Gong family was one of the top families within the province. Just a few months ago, the Yun family had fallen, in which the Gong family had also played a part, and unexpectedly, the Gong family was now facing turmoil...

However, death is like a blown-out lamp; the media camped out there to capture the lives of the living, like whether there would be internal disputes over the huge inheritance of the Gong family estate, which dignitaries would attend the funeral, and such...

The supposedly quiet mountain path was not quiet at all, as a stream of expensive private cars drove through the winding roads. At the entrance of the ancestral home dressed up for the funeral affairs, a few media personnel were on the watch, one of them holding a camera while eating breakfast...

Naturally, the Gong family did not wish for the media to camp out there, but since they were some distance from The Gate and were not being disruptive, the family could not be too overbearing in driving them away. They valued their reputation and did not want to mar it, thus they turned a blind eye.

"Hey, I heard that the Gong family has a lot of assets, all given to the youngest generation, that Gong Jiu who likes to dabble in antiques..."

"Yes, it was given to her... Apparently, someone had specifically appraised the Gong family’s private assets, just under the Gong Corporation alone are dozens of chain hotels, plus Gong Real Estate, as well as numerous companies in the travel industry, not to mention overseas stocks and bonds, adding up to at least one billion dollars..."

"Wow, isn’t that richer than the Yun family?"

"Who would say otherwise? Everyone thought the Yun family was the strongest, but once the inheritance of the Gong family was announced, many local tycoons were taken aback, nobody expected the Gong family to be so wealthy..., I’ve heard people say the history of the Gong family is the longest, lasting five or six hundred years... Just the value of those antiques is incalculable, so that one billion dollars might even be adjusted upwards..."

"So it all went to Gong Jiu? Wasn’t it said that Gong Jiu herself is also very wealthy?"

"Exactly, she herself also owns a real estate company and a jewelry company, and her assets amount to several billion dollars..."

Rich people getting richer, it’s quite ordinary, but...

"So the Gong Family Head gave everything to Gong Jiu?"

"Yes, although the others also got some, the shares are surprisingly little... that includes his other two sons and two daughters, not much at all... let alone other relatives."

"This also fits with his preference for Gong Jiu... only, I suspect today won’t be so simple, especially since it seems those sons haven’t shown up at the funeral..."

Hey, these people, chatting and holding their cameras, carrying their three yuan breakfast, squatting in front of someone else’s house...

Don’t be too loser.

Even though they belong to the mainstream media of the province, they still felt incredibly diminished in front of such a grand mansion...

"Here they come! It’s the people from the Xiao family..."

"People from the Tang family have also arrived..."

"Look, the people from the Yhan family are here too."

Once it reached a certain point, tycoons and celebrities would arrive one after another, not too early or too late, not too fast or too slow. The men wore black suits, neatly dressed, with a sorrowful look while the women wore black dresses, with simple makeup and solemn expressions...

They represented the most elite circle of this prosperous province with a population of over a hundred million. They were celebrities, symbols of luxury.

In the face of death, they had to shed their usual ostentation and decay, presenting their most dignified selves...

But in the face of death, they were no more noble nor more humble than anyone else.

One day, they’ll all just be pale black and white photos.

Xiao Xianting was wearing his usual black suit, his expression as cold as ever, his long legs stepping out of a low-key black car, glancing and noticing Tang Hanyan and Yhan Qingwu.

These two, mother and daughter, were already celebrities in the province, the former being the province’s top beauty back in the day and the latter, though low-key, had stirred up quite a few controversies. Since coming back from abroad, there had been little noise about her, but now, getting out of the car, the media suddenly realized.

Indeed, like mother, like daughter, both beauties capable of overturning states, dignified and elegant...

After getting out of the car, they happened to meet the complex eyes of the Yhan family group.

The Yhan family’s sun was setting, while the Tang family was on the rise. Now facing each other...

Yhan Yun suddenly realized that his ex-wife was even prettier than before, even appearing several years younger, almost resembling a woman in her twenties, while his daughter...

Standing together, despite their low-key attire and subdued expressions, they single-handedly made every other distinguished lady and madam present look like nothing in comparison.

Especially his current wife by his side and their pair of children.

This was also the first time the children had seen Yhan Qingwu. Like their mother, if Yhan Yun divorcing Tang Hanyan meant their formal entry into the wealthy and prestigious Yhan Family was their victory, then today’s encounter blatantly told everyone that they had failed.

From the fact that only these two represented the Tang Family, and from Xiao Xianting and Xiao Ran—two influential figures in the business and education sectors—actively stepping forward to chat with them while ignoring the people from the Yhan family...

From their husband and father, Yhan Yun, staring at them unwaveringly...

They had lost!

Utterly defeated!

The children looked at Yhan Qingwu and felt their expensive clothes uncomfortable on them, let alone the embarrassing looks from the others.

—The difference between a genuine famous brand produced by the first beauty of the Tang Family and a wild one outside, that was the gap.

"Miss Tang, hello," Xiao Xianting said, scaring many of the elites who were already enjoying the show.

Miss Tang?

It couldn’t possibly be calling Tang Hanyan, so...

Tang Qingwu?

She had actually changed her surname!!

Instantly, all the media captured this scene, including Yhan Qingwu, no, Tang Qingwu!

"Hello, Mr. Xiao,"

With a slight nod, they planned to walk inside, completely ignoring the people from the Yhan family and not even glancing at the deathly pale Yhan Yun.

Just then...

Suddenly, seven or eight private cars drove up from the mountain path. Swish, the car doors opened. Who else could it be if not the uncles and aunts from the Gong family!

And their bodyguards...

At this moment, they appeared magnificently and walked toward the gates with a menacing air...

The guards at the gate hurried forward to stop them, but how could they? Elder of the Gong Family glared coldly, "Move aside! Don’t forget we are still the masters of this house!"

The bodyguards stepped forward, pushing people aside...

However, the people from the Gong family were not to be trifled with. As Feng Sha and Brother Ma appeared, the aura of having faced death and slain evil spirits intimidated these bodyguards... Moreover, as soon as Feng Sha stepped forward, he took down seven or eight people with a couple of quick moves, stepping on a bodyguard’s hand, he coldly swept his gaze across: "Third Master Gong, today is not the day for you to create trouble, otherwise don’t blame us for not holding back..."

"Feng Sha! You are nothing but a dog of our Gong family. What, has Gong Jiu fed you too much and now you only recognize her?!" Third Master Gong sneered.

Feng Sha nodded, simply stating, "Yes."

This man really was...

Xiao Xianting raised an eyebrow, such a loyal subordinate! No wonder Gong Jiu could suppress internal disputes within the Gong family in such a short time, her subordinates were probably fearsome, unlike the subordinates under Third Master Gong...

Bodyguards?

Old Patriarch Gong’s methods were harsh indeed, bestowing them nothing but useless material!

But after all, these people were the elders of Gong Jiu. Causing a scene at the funeral, both Gong Jiu and the face of the Gong family would be utterly lost. It just remained to be seen how Gong Jiu would deal with this...

Just as Feng Sha and the others were about to completely take down these bodyguards, Third Master Gong and his company got intimidated and charged directly into the front yard of the main house...

No media could miss such a chance, instantly swarming toward the gateway, Phyllin constantly clicking away...

Lights flashed continuously.

The Gong family people couldn’t stop and Third Master Gong and his company seemed to want to use the media to make a statement, hence the noise grew even louder...

Until they suddenly heard someone shouting, "Gong Jiu has come out!.."

The main house’s doors were flung open, and there was Gong Jiu, dressed in a black long dress, wearing high heels for the first time.

Oddly enough, despite the Gong family’s tradition of ancient customs, the entire funeral was in a Western style, probably because the old man of the Gong family feared that the Chinese style might have certain taboos, like requiring descendants to do certain rituals, and most of his descendants had already been disinherited by him, so the Western style was much simpler and clearer.

Thus, it was Western style, and thus Gong Jiu was wearing a black long dress, stepping on seven-centimeter heels, her thighs strong and lean, her body slender and slim, her features chiseled, her brows like cut swords, her eyes like tinted moons.

She slowly stepped out, each step as if treading on swords, her expressionless face cold as ice.

Suddenly, Third Master Gong and his company quieted down, remembering the girl who became quiet and reserved due to her parents’ tragic deaths, the playful outlier who emerged as she grew up, the lawless lady after becoming an adult... (To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)