Chapter 34: Negotiation (IV)

Fang Yufu was thoroughly disappointed with his eldest granddaughter. Since the marriage could no longer be salvaged, he decided to shift his plans to Qinghe. Someone without intelligence would not survive as long as an ordinary and clever person. It seemed he would have to break his promise to his eldest son.

“Let Qinghe marry the eldest son of the main branch.”

“Grandfather, how can you change your mind? Back in Xuzhou, you promised my parents that I would marry into the Xiao family!” Fang Qinglian had never dreamed that her grandfather would abandon her at this critical moment.

“Father, you are wise.” A man standing nearby was nudged in the waist by his wife and, taken by surprise by the unexpected good news, could only respond awkwardly with these four words.

“Husband…” Madam Fang recalled promising before they left that she would ensure her eldest granddaughter married into the capital. Her husband’s sudden change of heart left her utterly unprepared.

“Mother, perhaps Qinglian has encountered someone or something that has caused her to have other plans!” Her daughter-in-law subtly hinted, leaving her sentence unfinished to provoke thought.

At this moment, she was no longer afraid of her father-in-law’s anger. What could be more important than her daughter’s marriage? Her niece’s thoughts were plain to see, yet her in-laws always trusted her excuses and lies.

Madam Fang pondered the meaning behind her daughter-in-law’s words while recalling whom her granddaughter had met. Her mind, stunned by her husband’s decision, suddenly flashed to a scene. She blurted out, “Could it be the man we just met outside…” Realizing her slip of tongue, she quickly swallowed the last word, but it was too late.

The Xiao family heard her words loud and clear. Although she didn’t finish the sentence, it wasn’t hard to infer the missing part and connect the dots.

Xiao Jingkang and Xiao Jingmin, who were in the know, internally applauded Madam Fang for her unwitting assistance. Things would now be much easier to handle.

“Steward Feng, come in.” Xiao Jingtai seized the opportunity, unwilling to let it slip by.

Steward Feng entered, clearly intending to report something. However, no one was in the mood to hear his news.

“Steward Feng, did this Miss Fang meet someone outside our front gate just now?” Xiao Jingtai asked.

“She met Fourth Master and the eldest lady at the gate,” Steward Feng replied succinctly, having overheard the entire incident.

“Well, well! First, you target my grandson, then my granddaughter, and now you’ve set your sights on my son? Do you think everyone in my family who isn’t married should line up for you to choose from?”

General Xiao was so angry he laughed. He had encountered shameless people before, but never an entire family so thoroughly shameless. He was about to say more when a loud cry came from outside, “Mother! Mother, wake up! Someone, come quickly!”

The Xiao family members in the hall rushed outside upon hearing the commotion.

Outside, Mrs. Qin lay unconscious in Xiao Jingyan’s arms, her face pale and unmoving.

“Mother fainted,” Xiao Jingyan said urgently when he saw his father and three elder brothers approaching.

Anyone with eyes could see that; there was no need for you to say it!

“Why is your mother here?” General Xiao ordered someone to fetch a doctor, not forgetting to question his son.

“Mother said she was worried and afraid there might be arguments, so she insisted on coming to take a look. I had no choice but to accompany her,” Xiao Jingyan explained, oblivious to the gravity of the matter.

He had no idea that the real reason for Mrs. Qin’s fainting was the Fang family’s audacious attempt to target her beloved youngest son. It was enough to enrage anyone. The reactions of General Xiao and Xiao Jingkang made that clear. Mrs. Qin’s fainting was, therefore, entirely understandable.

To understand how Mrs. Qin ended up in the hall, we must start from the morning. General Xiao, worried his wife might feel troubled, decided not to let her know about the situation. His three daughters-in-law were tasked with accompanying Mrs. Qin. Everything had been progressing smoothly.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jingyan, after admonishing his young niece in the study, went to Ninghe Hall feeling satisfied with the results.

The daughters-in-law, assuming Xiao Jingyan was unaware of the situation and had no connection with the Fang family, entrusted their mother-in-law to him without a second thought.

Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the worse. Xiao Jingyan, who had recently encountered the Fang family and harbored lingering resentment, casually brought up the matter while chatting with his mother.

Upon learning of Fang Yufu’s arrival, Mrs. Qin insisted on coming to the hall with her son. But after listening to just a few sentences, she was so enraged that she fainted.

By the time the doctor arrived, Mrs. Qin had already been moved to the rear courtyard.

Fang Yufu wanted to seize the opportunity to leave, but Xiao Jingkang, who had been keeping a close eye on him, prevented his escape.

Things had reached this point, and a resolution was necessary. Especially since Mrs. Qin had fainted because of it, combining old grievances with new ones, there was no way they would let the Fang family go easily.

Xiao Jingkang, worried about his mother’s health, called Steward Feng to his side and gave him detailed instructions. After finishing, he quickly caught up with the others.

“Master Fang, this way, please.”

Steward Feng ushered everyone back to the hall and closed the door behind him.

“On what grounds are you detaining us? This is the capital, a place governed by law. If you don’t release us, be prepared for the consequences when we report you and your masters!”

“What does Steward Feng intend to do? Please speak plainly,” Fang Yufu ignored his wife, focusing on finding a way to leave.

“Master Fang, you should know what our general and young master expect,” Steward Feng replied calmly.

“Are you saying there’s no regard for familial ties?” Fang Yufu made a final attempt, realizing they had come up empty-handed and were on the verge of losing the marriage alliance.

“Master Fang, is this a joke? After what your family has done, how can this marriage continue?

Write a formal statement to dissolve the marriage. As long as our madam is unharmed, our two families will have nothing more to do with each other. You can curry favor with your powerful connections, and we can live our peaceful lives. Isn’t that better?”

“No! I disagree. Why should the marriage be annulled? Is it because the Xiao family has become prominent and no longer recognizes us as relatives? Don’t you fear I’ll spread the word about this?” Madam Fang protested but was cut off by her husband.

“Fine, I’ll write it.” Fang Yufu knew that without writing something, the Xiao family would never let them leave.

“Don’t write it, husband!”

“Grandfather!”

Ignoring the protests, Fang Yufu quickly penned a statement. Steward Feng carefully reviewed it and said, “Master Fang, please amend this section to explicitly state that no member of the Fang family shall ever bring up this matter again. Any violation will bear consequences.”

“You…” Fang Yufu’s wording had indeed been vague, but Steward Feng, with years of experience handling administrative matters, wouldn’t let him exploit any loopholes.

Reluctantly, Fang Yufu made the required changes and rewrote the statement in duplicate, keeping one copy and handing the other to Steward Feng. After years of scheming, it all came to nothing. Frustrated, Fang Yufu left, defeated.

Madam Fang followed unsteadily, unable to comprehend how things had spiraled out of control. She didn’t realize her careless words had caused the disaster.

The rest of the Fang family looked equally grim. All of Xuzhou knew about their connection to the Xiao family. How could they explain this upon returning home?

Steward Feng handed the dissolution statement to General Xiao, who passed it to Tong Mingyu for safekeeping.

The Xiao family could never have anticipated that this seemingly resolved matter would bring them numerous troubles and complications in the years to come—something entirely beyond their current foresight.

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