Chapter 322 - The Journal of the Young Master Xiong

'The Journal of the Young Master Xiong'? A journal of one of their family's ancestors?

And why it was said as missing?

They have many journals of their ancestors passed down to them. All of them were safely displayed in the treasure room of the Xiong Mansion.

That era of Huaxia was when literacy was at its peak. The golden age allowed everyone to have a certain extent of literacy. Thus, almost all of the Xiong and Zhou family members were literate. They took pride in it, and loved to write journals to practice their writing. It went on until it became a habit of the two families in ancient times to keep journals and save them as records for the future generations.

Therefore, there were a lot of journals in the two families' collection rooms.

If there was something special about this journal that might affect the treaty between the two families, his ancestors should have found it already.

Old Xiong did not think too much about it and tapped on the doc.u.ment.

Inside were pictures of pages of an old journal. The paper was already brown and withered. Some of the ink had already smudged over time. However, the calligraphy of the person was still distinct.

Old Xiong tried to read the journal. However, the characters were very archaic and seemed to be a language used in the ancient Huaxia empire several centuries ago. Old Xiong was a businessman, not a linguist. He was also not very familiar with this ancestor. So he asked Zhou Min at his side who was more knowledgeable of the history of the Xiong family and the Zhou family.

"Do you know whose journal is this?"

Butler Zhou took a look at the doc.u.ment.

"The era was around the time when the Xiong family was said to have just saved the Zhou family… from becoming the lowest rank of slaves. It is probably from the first generation, when our family had sworn our loyalties to Master's family."

Then suddenly Zhou Min stopped. He seemed to realize something.

"However, there was no journal recorded from the first generation. The first journal we have in our collection was the Third Xiong Patriarch's, who had recorded the history of the Zhou family being demoted to slaves and the Xiong family saving them. He was the first one to write the treaty and the cause of it. If I remember correctly, it was just a little later after this date... So this was probably the Third Xiong Patriarch's father, the Second Xiong Patriarch." 

In honor of the old Xiong Master, the master of the Xiong family at the time when the disaster happened and saved the ruined Zhou family, he was reverently called the First Patriarch in the joint history of the Xiongs and the Zhous. His son who had succeeded him was then called as Second Xiong Patriarch.

Butler Zhou Min went nearer to Master Xiong. "May I?"

Old Xiong let him take the tablet. Zhou Min swiftly scanned the file. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Master, this journal is not in the Xiong's treasure room nor is it in the Zhou mansion." He looked bewilderingly at his son. How did his son manage to get it?

Linfeng sensed his father's question. "If you read the file more, you will see how we got it. You are right. The first journal and the first record of the treaty that both of the families had in possession was the journal of the Third Xiong Patriarch, who happened to be the son of the Young Master Xiong who was with the Young Master Zhou at the time of the accident."

Everyone was surprised.

"In his journal, he described how the accident happened and what caused the doomed fate of the Zhou family."

Linfeng somberly gestured for them to continue reading the doc.u.ment.

Butler Zhou Min looked down gravely and read the content. Below the pictures of the journal was the translation from the experts.

The Second Xiong Patriarch, who was then still the Young Master Xiong, wrote in detail of what happened. With sorrow and self-blame he wrote, 

[It's my sin and my mistake why my father lost a friend, the Zhou clan's destruction, and my friend's banishment. All of it are my sins. If I did not lead my friend to sneak into the esteemed concubine's collection room, none of it would have happened. This is a sin that I shall carry for the rest of my life.] 

Zhou Min's heart trembled. The Young Master Xiong was with the Young Master Zhou when the cause of the downfall happened?

Seeing the shocked face of his butler, Old Xiong called out.

"What is it, Zhou Min?"

Butler Zhou looked at Old Xiong, unable to speak. He quietly passed the tablet to Old Xiong as he could not find his voice. His mind was filled with questions. 

His mind ran through the history they knew again.

In the recorded history of the Xiong Patriarch, it was written that the Zhou family had made a huge mistake that caused their downfall. It wrote the incident of the broken teacup from the imperial family. However, that fact that the Young Master Xiong was the one who had led the Young Master Zhou and was with him at the time of the accident, none of it was recorded.

Old Xiong furrowed his brow as he read on. He frigidly passed the tablet back to Zhou Min. His head was aching. "You read the rest for me."

Butler Zhou Min swallowed and continued reading the translated quotations.

"After the accident, the Zhou clan swore their loyalty to us. However, the destruction of the Zhou clan has to be put into someone's shoulder. They blamed it to my friend and banished him from their clan. I can only watch as my friend left the capital with a blank and lifeless face. How grievous I was as I watch him walk away. His hopeless back left an unforgettable memory that I know will be engraved in my heart and soul forever."

Zhou Min stiffened. The Young Master Zhou was banished. This was not recorded in their family history. 

The Young Master Zhou was recorded in the Zhou family registry, but his death or what his achievement was, it was all empty. Like he just vanished. There was no record of what happened to the Young Master Zhou who had caused the doomed fate of the Zhou family. So it was because of this. They have no record of him because they had let him disappear.

Old Xiong's knot on the forehead became deeper. These were not familiar to him at all.

Zhou Min tapped for the next page. These were entries about how the Xiong family struggled with the Zhou family to build their business again. There was a highlighted translation. Zhou Min read it out.

"My father just passed away. He left the Xiong Teahouse to me. We managed to build back at least some of our lost business. However, we are still struggling. I am not confident. What if the heavens punished me for my sins, and I end up causing the Xiong clan's ruin? I am a sinner and a coward. I do not even dare to tell my whole clan the truth. I hope my friend will forgive me for abandoning him over these years, for letting him shoulder all the sins alone."

Other articles were about the Xiong's business, their struggles and how it grew slowly. There were many pages. It was written many times over how the Xiong business grew with the help of the Zhou family. The writer of the journal praised the Zhou family many times, saying that the blood of a talented merchant ran in them.

Until he saw the highlighted ones again, Zhou Min read it out loud.

"I am getting older. Yet the memory of the past is still vivid for me. I always dreamed of my friend's lifeless back. I am still reminded that I am the one who caused his ruin, his clan's downfall. Our Xiong clan managed to get our reputation back, but the Zhou clan are still marked as slaves."

There were other pages before he found the highlighted ones again.

"I looked for my friend. I wanted to meet him before I breathe my last. I finally found him. However, it was too late. He died alone in an obscure town called 'Yang Shun', just a few days before my men arrived to his home. Alas, alas. My heart hurt so much. He had no family and he lived alone by fishing. I was told that he was known as a silent man. My friend was never a silent man, he was full of joy before, mischievous, and lively. He had changed. I destroyed his life..." There were a blotted patches of ink at the end of this journal. The Xiong Patriach who wrote this was clearly grieving for his dead friend. Even Butler Zhou's voice trailed off.

There was only one page left in the journal.

"I'm nearing my end. I can feel my life slipping away from me. I dreamed of him again. He told me that he never blamed me. That I should set myself free. Is it truly his spirit speaking out to me? Or is it purely my inner demon, consumed by guilt and longing for his forgiveness? I do not know. But I have thought about it. I decided to let myself free, by freeing the Zhou clan... With them being slaves signified me being a slave as well to my sins... I was the one who caused it. With them free, I would be free..." Zhou Min slowed down until he halted. 

His eyes were wide. 

Setting the Zhou family free?

Old Xiong was stunned as well. 

"Continue reading," he agitatedly urged Zhou Min to read more.

Butler Zhou took a deep breath and went on in a trembling voice.

"The Zhou clan's great sin is still recorded in the dynasty's history. The Yamen will not allow such a thing as freeing the slaves who are personally demoted by the reigning imperial family. I cannot subvert the imperial order. So I passed down a decree to my son that once the era changed, and the current dynasty had no influence anymore, our family, the Xiong clan, in my name and in my father's name, shall set the Zhou clan free... They shall no longer be our slaves, but a friend who struggled with us through desperate times... I hope that a time will come and they forgive me...." 

The last words echoed inside the hall, as if bringing back with them the sorrow of lonely old man from the ancient past.

[EN: Yamen was the local enforcer/police/local government in charge of security in the ancient Huaxia era]

Xiong Zhi just stayed quiet as the two men before her were silently processing whatever information they had heard and seen.

She had not known the entire story. But she had once asked Linfeng on what caused the treaty and how he managed to break it. Linfeng, who had just came back to her after breaking the treaty, smiled at her gently and answered in a mysteries tone, "Because of a mere teacup. There was a sad story hidden in a broken teacup. "