The old madam hesitated upon hearing Lady Li’s words but finally replied, “Although it may seem like a blessing, it’s not necessarily so. The two of them set up a mercenary and a caravan service, and they even seem to have colluded with a concubine by the regional commander’s side to come up with a scheme. I only understood it yesterday. If this succeeds, our family will benefit greatly but if it fails, we’re doomed.”
Lady Li was shocked, “Ah, did the young master find out about the matter with the third mistress and intend to…”
The old madam sighed, neither admitting nor denying it. In fact, she was very clear in her heart. The peasants have been exploited by the military for far too long and it was only a matter of time before an uprising occurs. With their family caught in between, they could only be pushed out as the scapegoat. The adage ‘there will be no construction without destruction first’ was the reason she had allowed Xiang Han and Xu Yan Ze to do as they please. It wasn’t because she hoped that those two would help their family escape the predicament of being caught in between.
Nanny Li grew flustered from her silence. “T-This… How could the regional commander be someone they can go against? We need to stop the Young Master.”
Unexpectedly, the old madam shook her head. The Jin family was now walking on thin ice. Even if they didn’t struggle, death was a matter of time, so why not give one final struggle? If they were lucky enough, they may even survive. If they failed, they could still protect the younger generation and allow them to escape from Jin Wu. At her age, she was naturally very open-minded.
It was just that if they actually succeeded… Yan Xiao Ze was too strong and Xiao Bao only had him in his eyes. When that time comes, no one knows who would be the one in charge of the family. Moreover, which man wouldn’t grow willful once they had a taste of power? Especially a man who had been suppressed for far too long. Once he had the opportunity to retaliate, he might not spare their family’s Xiao Bao another glance.
But it was a fact that Yan Xiao Ze had this ability. No one had ever gained the upper hand against that pair of unruly brothers from the Jin family.
The old madam sighed and suddenly asked, “Are you sure that miracle fruit has been eaten?”
Nanny Li froze, not understanding how the topic had shifted in this direction. Nonetheless, she respectfully replied, “I’m sure. I’ve even seen the seed.”
“Then why hasn’t anything happened yet?” The old madam couldn’t help grumbling, “In my opinion, we should arrange for them to stay in the adjoining rooms.”
“They’ve only been married for a month, is there a need?” Nanny Li hesitated.
The old madam shook her head. “He’s eaten the fruit, but there hasn’t been any news yet. It’s most probably because he’s unwilling to consummate their marriage. In that case, we shouldn’t play the villain and force the unwilling party. Also, don’t call him Young Mistress from now on, just treat him as a Young Master from our family. It’s just a child, who can’t birth it? We shouldn’t offend him over something like this.”
“I… Understand.” Nanny Li didn’t understand.
The old madam instructed her once more, “Go pick two beautiful and fertile maids, and bring them over for me to take a look at.”
At this point in time, Xu Yan Ze was still ignorant of the fact that his position was in danger. After returning to Chenghui Courtyard with Xiang Han, he began to brag about his accomplishments. “Lady Mei has successfully come into contact with our target. Such a large appetite, we had to send a hefty sum of gold before she agreed.”
“No wonder. I heard the regional commander’s wife was bullying Lady Mei yesterday. In the end, he publicly slapped her. So it was your doing?” Xiang Han asked with intrigue.
“If I have to worry over this sort of matter, wouldn’t I die from exhaustion? I only arranged for someone to stay by her side and occasionally point her in the right direction.” Xu Yan Ze laughed and shook his head. “However, these petty arguments will only obstruct the commander’s wife momentarily and will not be able to cause any actual damage. Her greatest support is her child, so it’s only right if Lady Mei has a child.”
“But isn’t Lady Mei infertile?”
Xu Yan Ze cleared his throat and asked, “That’s why I’m asking, does your family still have another one of those miracle fruits?”
The miracle fruit was something that could allow men and infertile women to give birth.
“Ah, I’m not sure. I’ll go ask grandmother when I have time.” At the mention of the miracle fruit, Xiang Han felt his face grow bitter.
Xu Yan Ze wasn’t in a hurry. After settling official matters, he pulled Xiang Han into his embrace and asked in a light voice, “Seeing how efficient I am, shouldn’t I receive a prize?”
“What kind of prize do you want?” Xiang Han turned around and asked.
Xu Yan Ze coughed lightly and reminded him, “We still haven’t made up for our wedding night.”
Xiang Han’s face turned dark. So much time has already passed yet he was still hanging onto this matter. However… when he remembered Xu Yan Ze’s drunk appearance, an idea born from his unwillingness to give in abruptly flashed across his mind.
“But… I’m not prepared yet. Can we wait for another two days?” He tried to negotiate.
Xu Yan Ze couldn’t help but blurt out, “It’s okay, I’ve already made preparations.”
“Huh? What did you prepare?”
“Ahem, nothing. I mean… There’s nothing much to prepare, it’s just…”
“No way. Last time was too much of a rush. This time, we must do things properly.” Xiang Han interrupted before squinting at him, “Or do you mean to say that you don’t care about all these? You only want to satisfy your own needs?”
“No way, I only hope for our relationship to progress to the next stage.” Xu Yan Ze immediately denied. Then, he continued in a regretful tone, “But since you need some time to prepare, let’s wait a couple of days.”
Progress to the next stage? Xiang Han was baffled. This was the second time Xu Yan Ze had said something like this. Could it be that that night… they hadn’t actually gone all the way?
He wanted to ask but didn’t know how to bring himself to say it. After struggling for a moment, he felt that it was rather pointless now that it was already over, and decided to leave it be.
However, he didn’t expect that once he’d given up on finding the truth, the answer would be revealed to him the very next day.
A wealthy merchant from the south had paid them a visit and Xiang Han was unable to leave to attend to his caravan business. He remained in the manor while Xu Yan Ze had already dragged the two Jin brothers away, angering the two Jin aunts to the point of wanting to rip him apart.
Xiang Han stayed by the old madam’s side for an entire afternoon, cracking walnut shells. Once he heard that the merchant was arriving, he hurriedly brushed off the scattered remains from his clothes and stood up. “Grandmother, should I go take a look?”
The old madam seemed hesitant, wanting to say something before she sighed, “Go on.”
After he left, the old madam turned towards Nanny Li by her side. “I’ve thought about it and decided. We’ll send two servant girls over before letting him know in case he refuses.”
“Understood.”
Xiang Han never imagined that in the short span of a moment, there would be two beautiful servant girls in his courtyard. At this moment, he’d just arrived in the main hall and upon seeing the wealthy merchant, he froze.
Seeing him arrive, his first uncle quickly got up and introduced them. “This is the third child. He manages the caravan business. If you require anything, you may talk it over with him.”
Then, he turned back towards Xiang Han, “Bao Han, this is Lord Bai from Qiao Zhou. And the person beside him is his son.”
The wealthy merchant looked up and glanced at Xiang Han, his gaze filled with probing. Beside him was his son, full of smiles. When he saw Xiang Han, the contemptuous smile on his face grew wider.
Xiang Han’s expression stiffened, but he still reached out a hand politely. “Nice to meet you.”
As if! Isn’t this person the third prince, Wei Zhao? As for the wealthy merchant, even though he had changed his appearance, did you think that he couldn’t guess from Wei Zhao’s respectful gaze? Forget about the third prince, even the emperor had come to the Jin manor.
Wait a minute. If the emperor had come to Jin Wu, does that mean that this had also happened in the original storyline? He suddenly had an epiphany as to why despite the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in Jin Wu, they couldn’t stop the fifty thousand Turkic troops, allowing them to do as they pleased.
Originally, Jin Wu belonged to Xue Qing Lin. He must have been aware of certain matters and wanted to borrow this blade to kill his enemies. It was a pity that because of this, the innocent civilians were injured and killed, and even the Jin family was destroyed. Later on, when the emperor assisted Xu Yan Ze, Xue Qing Lin can be said to have completely reaped a massive advantage.
After realising that he seemed to have figured out the truth, Xiang Han only felt an internal ache and thought, this person was truly a bastard. While the people were barely getting by with minimal food and clothes to provide for the military, Xue Qing Lin had allowed the intruders to kill and rob Jin Wu for the sake of power, status, and fame. In the end, he was the fisherman reeling in the net. Moreover, looking at how he wasn’t afraid of inviting trouble to himself, could there be a possibility of him having colluded with the Turkics?
The hole in Xiang Han’s brain widened. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it must be true and immediately lost any patience in receiving the emperor. After dealing with him for a while, Xiang Han got up and bid them farewell.
That night, the emperor stayed over at the manor as expected. After dinner, Xiang Han was preparing to head back to his own courtyard when Wei Zhao called out to him with a smile, “I heard Brother Jin is in charge of the caravan business and coincidentally, this humble one would like to procure some of Jin Wu’s specialty to bring back to Qiao Zhou. Perhaps, there’s an opportunity for us to work together. Why don’t we find a place to talk about this?”
After knowing the two people’s identities, Xiang Han had lost all interest in collaborating. Moreover, he wasn’t sure if it was because of the chilling weather or excessive eating, but his stomach was growing uncomfortable. He only wanted to return to his courtyard to rest. It would be best if Xu Yan Ze was already back and could give him a massage… sigh.
Xiang Han had just wanted to reject him when Nanny Li suddenly appeared. She told him in a low voice, “Young Master, the old madam is looking for you.”
Xiang Han’s eyebrows rose. He hurriedly feigned ignorance, “Aiya, I’m so sorry. Grandmother is probably looking for me urgently. Let’s speak again when we get the chance.”
He didn’t wait for Wei Zhao’s reply before slipping away.
Once he arrived at his grandmother’s residence, Xiang Han hadn’t even warmed his seat before hearing the other person mention the words ‘bed warmers’. He immediately shot to his feet. “What?”
The old madam coughed lightly, “Don’t make such a fuss. Which young master doesn’t have a few servants to warm their bed? The two that your grandmother has selected for you…”
“Two?” Xiang Han was dumbstruck as if ten thousand horses were running rampant in his heart. If Xu Yan Ze found out, would he skin him alive?
“No way, you mustn’t send them over. I don’t like servants.” He quickly rejected.
“Don’t… like?” The old madam froze. After a moment, she asked another question, “Do you not like servants or do you not like women?”
“I… don’t like both.” Xiang Han’s face reddened.
The old madam faltered. “But I’ve already sent them to Chenghui Courtyard. It won’t be appropriate to call them back now. How about this, keep them by yourself and if they truly aren’t to your liking, you can treat them as ordinary servants and instruct them to do menial chores.”
When Xiang Han left, she told Nanny Li, “Looks like we have to find a male servant. This time, we must be cautious, there’s only one fruit left.”
Xiang Han returned with a massive headache. The moment he entered, he saw Xu Yan Ze sitting by the table with a frightening expression. Beside him were two pretty servants.
When they saw him, they hurried over to his side with light lotus steps and bowed. Their expressions were aggrieved, “Young Master.”
Xu Yan Ze turned to look at him, his gaze akin to a blade cutting him apart with a swish.
“Ah, you two… leave us for a moment.” Xiang Han was caught in the middle, the guilt was eating him apart.
The servants exchanged a look, and one of them was a little unwilling. She said coyly, “Young Master, the old madam ordered us to serve you…”
Xu Yan Ze suddenly stood up and threw the two out without regard for the fairer sex. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut. He turned to look at Xiang Han and squeezed his words through gritted teeth, “You said you needed time to prepare but in the end? In just a day, you even have people to warm your bed. If we wait a couple more days, are you going to tell me you already have a child?”
Xiang Han’s face was filled with bitterness. He meekly replied, “Would you believe me if I said I’d also just known about this?”
“I’d be a fool to believe you!” Without another word, Xu Yan Ze threw him over his shoulders and headed straight for their sleeping chambers.
Xiang Han panicked and immediately began to struggle. “Wait a minute! Calm down, listen to me. This is a misunderstanding. It really is, I’d also just known about it…”
The old madam hesitated upon hearing Lady Li’s words but finally replied, “Although it may seem like a blessing, it’s not necessarily so. The two of them set up a mercenary and a caravan service, and they even seem to have colluded with a concubine by the regional commander’s side to come up with a scheme. I only understood it yesterday. If this succeeds, our family will benefit greatly but if it fails, we’re doomed.”
Lady Li was shocked, “Ah, did the young master find out about the matter with the third mistress and intend to…”
The old madam sighed, neither admitting nor denying it. In fact, she was very clear in her heart. The peasants have been exploited by the military for far too long and it was only a matter of time before an uprising occurs. With their family caught in between, they could only be pushed out as the scapegoat. The adage ‘there will be no construction without destruction first’ was the reason she had allowed Xiang Han and Xu Yan Ze to do as they please. It wasn’t because she hoped that those two would help their family escape the predicament of being caught in between.
Nanny Li grew flustered from her silence. “T-This… How could the regional commander be someone they can go against? We need to stop the Young Master.”
Unexpectedly, the old madam shook her head. The Jin family was now walking on thin ice. Even if they didn’t struggle, death was a matter of time, so why not give one final struggle? If they were lucky enough, they may even survive. If they failed, they could still protect the younger generation and allow them to escape from Jin Wu. At her age, she was naturally very open-minded.
It was just that if they actually succeeded… Yan Xiao Ze was too strong and Xiao Bao only had him in his eyes. When that time comes, no one knows who would be the one in charge of the family. Moreover, which man wouldn’t grow willful once they had a taste of power? Especially a man who had been suppressed for far too long. Once he had the opportunity to retaliate, he might not spare their family’s Xiao Bao another glance.
But it was a fact that Yan Xiao Ze had this ability. No one had ever gained the upper hand against that pair of unruly brothers from the Jin family.
The old madam sighed and suddenly asked, “Are you sure that miracle fruit has been eaten?”
Nanny Li froze, not understanding how the topic had shifted in this direction. Nonetheless, she respectfully replied, “I’m sure. I’ve even seen the seed.”
“Then why hasn’t anything happened yet?” The old madam couldn’t help grumbling, “In my opinion, we should arrange for them to stay in the adjoining rooms.”
“They’ve only been married for a month, is there a need?” Nanny Li hesitated.
The old madam shook her head. “He’s eaten the fruit, but there hasn’t been any news yet. It’s most probably because he’s unwilling to consummate their marriage. In that case, we shouldn’t play the villain and force the unwilling party. Also, don’t call him Young Mistress from now on, just treat him as a Young Master from our family. It’s just a child, who can’t birth it? We shouldn’t offend him over something like this.”
“I… Understand.” Nanny Li didn’t understand.
The old madam instructed her once more, “Go pick two beautiful and fertile maids, and bring them over for me to take a look at.”
At this point in time, Xu Yan Ze was still ignorant of the fact that his position was in danger. After returning to Chenghui Courtyard with Xiang Han, he began to brag about his accomplishments. “Lady Mei has successfully come into contact with our target. Such a large appetite, we had to send a hefty sum of gold before she agreed.”
“No wonder. I heard the regional commander’s wife was bullying Lady Mei yesterday. In the end, he publicly slapped her. So it was your doing?” Xiang Han asked with intrigue.
“If I have to worry over this sort of matter, wouldn’t I die from exhaustion? I only arranged for someone to stay by her side and occasionally point her in the right direction.” Xu Yan Ze laughed and shook his head. “However, these petty arguments will only obstruct the commander’s wife momentarily and will not be able to cause any actual damage. Her greatest support is her child, so it’s only right if Lady Mei has a child.”
“But isn’t Lady Mei infertile?”
Xu Yan Ze cleared his throat and asked, “That’s why I’m asking, does your family still have another one of those miracle fruits?”
The miracle fruit was something that could allow men and infertile women to give birth.
“Ah, I’m not sure. I’ll go ask grandmother when I have time.” At the mention of the miracle fruit, Xiang Han felt his face grow bitter.
Xu Yan Ze wasn’t in a hurry. After settling official matters, he pulled Xiang Han into his embrace and asked in a light voice, “Seeing how efficient I am, shouldn’t I receive a prize?”
“What kind of prize do you want?” Xiang Han turned around and asked.
Xu Yan Ze coughed lightly and reminded him, “We still haven’t made up for our wedding night.”
Xiang Han’s face turned dark. So much time has already passed yet he was still hanging onto this matter. However… when he remembered Xu Yan Ze’s drunk appearance, an idea born from his unwillingness to give in abruptly flashed across his mind.
“But… I’m not prepared yet. Can we wait for another two days?” He tried to negotiate.
Xu Yan Ze couldn’t help but blurt out, “It’s okay, I’ve already made preparations.”
“Huh? What did you prepare?”
“Ahem, nothing. I mean… There’s nothing much to prepare, it’s just…”
“No way. Last time was too much of a rush. This time, we must do things properly.” Xiang Han interrupted before squinting at him, “Or do you mean to say that you don’t care about all these? You only want to satisfy your own needs?”
“No way, I only hope for our relationship to progress to the next stage.” Xu Yan Ze immediately denied. Then, he continued in a regretful tone, “But since you need some time to prepare, let’s wait a couple of days.”
Progress to the next stage? Xiang Han was baffled. This was the second time Xu Yan Ze had said something like this. Could it be that that night… they hadn’t actually gone all the way?
He wanted to ask but didn’t know how to bring himself to say it. After struggling for a moment, he felt that it was rather pointless now that it was already over, and decided to leave it be.
However, he didn’t expect that once he’d given up on finding the truth, the answer would be revealed to him the very next day.
A wealthy merchant from the south had paid them a visit and Xiang Han was unable to leave to attend to his caravan business. He remained in the manor while Xu Yan Ze had already dragged the two Jin brothers away, angering the two Jin aunts to the point of wanting to rip him apart.
Xiang Han stayed by the old madam’s side for an entire afternoon, cracking walnut shells. Once he heard that the merchant was arriving, he hurriedly brushed off the scattered remains from his clothes and stood up. “Grandmother, should I go take a look?”
The old madam seemed hesitant, wanting to say something before she sighed, “Go on.”
After he left, the old madam turned towards Nanny Li by her side. “I’ve thought about it and decided. We’ll send two servant girls over before letting him know in case he refuses.”
“Understood.”
Xiang Han never imagined that in the short span of a moment, there would be two beautiful servant girls in his courtyard. At this moment, he’d just arrived in the main hall and upon seeing the wealthy merchant, he froze.
Seeing him arrive, his first uncle quickly got up and introduced them. “This is the third child. He manages the caravan business. If you require anything, you may talk it over with him.”
Then, he turned back towards Xiang Han, “Bao Han, this is Lord Bai from Qiao Zhou. And the person beside him is his son.”
The wealthy merchant looked up and glanced at Xiang Han, his gaze filled with probing. Beside him was his son, full of smiles. When he saw Xiang Han, the contemptuous smile on his face grew wider.
Xiang Han’s expression stiffened, but he still reached out a hand politely. “Nice to meet you.”
As if! Isn’t this person the third prince, Wei Zhao? As for the wealthy merchant, even though he had changed his appearance, did you think that he couldn’t guess from Wei Zhao’s respectful gaze? Forget about the third prince, even the emperor had come to the Jin manor.
Wait a minute. If the emperor had come to Jin Wu, does that mean that this had also happened in the original storyline? He suddenly had an epiphany as to why despite the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in Jin Wu, they couldn’t stop the fifty thousand Turkic troops, allowing them to do as they pleased.
Originally, Jin Wu belonged to Xue Qing Lin. He must have been aware of certain matters and wanted to borrow this blade to kill his enemies. It was a pity that because of this, the innocent civilians were injured and killed, and even the Jin family was destroyed. Later on, when the emperor assisted Xu Yan Ze, Xue Qing Lin can be said to have completely reaped a massive advantage.
After realising that he seemed to have figured out the truth, Xiang Han only felt an internal ache and thought, this person was truly a bastard. While the people were barely getting by with minimal food and clothes to provide for the military, Xue Qing Lin had allowed the intruders to kill and rob Jin Wu for the sake of power, status, and fame. In the end, he was the fisherman reeling in the net. Moreover, looking at how he wasn’t afraid of inviting trouble to himself, could there be a possibility of him having colluded with the Turkics?
The hole in Xiang Han’s brain widened. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it must be true and immediately lost any patience in receiving the emperor. After dealing with him for a while, Xiang Han got up and bid them farewell.
That night, the emperor stayed over at the manor as expected. After dinner, Xiang Han was preparing to head back to his own courtyard when Wei Zhao called out to him with a smile, “I heard Brother Jin is in charge of the caravan business and coincidentally, this humble one would like to procure some of Jin Wu’s specialty to bring back to Qiao Zhou. Perhaps, there’s an opportunity for us to work together. Why don’t we find a place to talk about this?”
After knowing the two people’s identities, Xiang Han had lost all interest in collaborating. Moreover, he wasn’t sure if it was because of the chilling weather or excessive eating, but his stomach was growing uncomfortable. He only wanted to return to his courtyard to rest. It would be best if Xu Yan Ze was already back and could give him a massage… sigh.
Xiang Han had just wanted to reject him when Nanny Li suddenly appeared. She told him in a low voice, “Young Master, the old madam is looking for you.”
Xiang Han’s eyebrows rose. He hurriedly feigned ignorance, “Aiya, I’m so sorry. Grandmother is probably looking for me urgently. Let’s speak again when we get the chance.”
He didn’t wait for Wei Zhao’s reply before slipping away.
Once he arrived at his grandmother’s residence, Xiang Han hadn’t even warmed his seat before hearing the other person mention the words ‘bed warmers’. He immediately shot to his feet. “What?”
The old madam coughed lightly, “Don’t make such a fuss. Which young master doesn’t have a few servants to warm their bed? The two that your grandmother has selected for you…”
“Two?” Xiang Han was dumbstruck as if ten thousand horses were running rampant in his heart. If Xu Yan Ze found out, would he skin him alive?
“No way, you mustn’t send them over. I don’t like servants.” He quickly rejected.
“Don’t… like?” The old madam froze. After a moment, she asked another question, “Do you not like servants or do you not like women?”
“I… don’t like both.” Xiang Han’s face reddened.
The old madam faltered. “But I’ve already sent them to Chenghui Courtyard. It won’t be appropriate to call them back now. How about this, keep them by yourself and if they truly aren’t to your liking, you can treat them as ordinary servants and instruct them to do menial chores.”
When Xiang Han left, she told Nanny Li, “Looks like we have to find a male servant. This time, we must be cautious, there’s only one fruit left.”
Xiang Han returned with a massive headache. The moment he entered, he saw Xu Yan Ze sitting by the table with a frightening expression. Beside him were two pretty servants.
When they saw him, they hurried over to his side with light lotus steps and bowed. Their expressions were aggrieved, “Young Master.”
Xu Yan Ze turned to look at him, his gaze akin to a blade cutting him apart with a swish.
“Ah, you two… leave us for a moment.” Xiang Han was caught in the middle, the guilt was eating him apart.
The servants exchanged a look, and one of them was a little unwilling. She said coyly, “Young Master, the old madam ordered us to serve you…”
Xu Yan Ze suddenly stood up and threw the two out without regard for the fairer sex. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut. He turned to look at Xiang Han and squeezed his words through gritted teeth, “You said you needed time to prepare but in the end? In just a day, you even have people to warm your bed. If we wait a couple more days, are you going to tell me you already have a child?”
Xiang Han’s face was filled with bitterness. He meekly replied, “Would you believe me if I said I’d also just known about this?”
“I’d be a fool to believe you!” Without another word, Xu Yan Ze threw him over his shoulders and headed straight for their sleeping chambers.
Xiang Han panicked and immediately began to struggle. “Wait a minute! Calm down, listen to me. This is a misunderstanding. It really is, I’d also just known about it…”
