Chapter 9: The Second Brother’s Scandal

Despite Old Madam Meng’s advice, Qin Xuan still confined Fang Miaoyi to five days of house arrest.

Even though she didn’t know Miaoyi’s background, if the child had made a mistake, she still had to be disciplined.

Qin Xuan wasn’t sure whether Er’er’s recovery was related to the celestial pill Fang Yuean had secretly given her.

She thought that since Er’er was closer to Fang Yuean, it might be more beneficial for her recovery.

So, she instructed people to pack Er’er’s things and have her move to Mingyue Residence.

The entire day was spent by Qin Xuan in Mingyue Residence, discussing the preparations for Fang Xunli’s wedding with Nanny Lei and several other maids.

As evening approached, everyone was dismissed.

Fang Yuean and Er’er were sitting inside a large, overturned wooden chest that had been hollowed out, eating cherries.

Fang Yuean fed Er’er one cherry, and after a while, she extended her little hand, took the pit from Er’er’s mouth, and tossed it into a nearby plate, wiping her palm on her leg.

Bihe hurriedly handed her a handkerchief.

Suddenly, Er’er raised her hand holding the cherry and pointed at the hanger nearby. “Bird.”

Huai Ze was startled: “She can see me? See, this is all because you fed her that celestial pill!”

Fang Yuean didn’t even look at Huai Ze: “Er’er was already very clever before she got hurt. What’s so special about seeing a broken bird like you?”

Qin Xuan, who was drinking tea, hurriedly looked up, her face full of joy as she looked at Er’er.

Er’er spoke again!

She looked over at the clothes rack but saw nothing, though she had an idea who Fang Yuean was talking to.

It was someone named Huai Ze… a celestial.

“An’an, Er’er, look what your big brother bought for you!” Fang Xunli’s voice rang out as he entered the room.

In Jingguo, students from the capital’s Imperial Academy were not required to live within the academy.

Fang Xunli returned home every day.

He held three sugar figurines in his right hand and several oil paper bags in his left, containing things children liked.

Fang Yuean’s eyes lit up as she picked up the remaining cherries and, excitedly, ran toward Fang Xunli, almost tripping over a bamboo horse lying on the floor.

Fang Xunli quickly stepped forward to catch her.

Fang Yuean steadied herself and, smiling, handed him the cherries. “Big brother, these are the cherries Er’er and I saved for you.”

[That was close, if you had been a bit later, they would have been finished.]

Qin Xuan couldn’t help but turn her head away and laugh quietly.

Fang Xunli squatted down, smiling and playing along. “My little sisters are too good. Next time, I’ll bring you both cherries and bīluó fruit.”

He took the plate from her, handed the two sugar figurines and several paper bags to Fang Yuean. “Take these to Er’er.”

“Hongxiang, take this sugar figurine and the other snacks to Miaoyi,” he ordered as he stood up.

Mother had instructed that before any secrets were revealed, they must not let the second household detect their precautions.

Fang Yuean split the sugar figurine with Er’er and opened the paper bags one by one. There were dried meat, dried apricots, and rose pastries—her favorite snacks.

Fang Yuean licked the rabbit-shaped sugar figurine and her eyes brightened. It was really delicious.

Before, she thought these were just things that children in the mortal world liked, and as a demon, eating such things was beneath her. So, she had never eaten them before.

But today, Big Brother had already bought them, and if she didn’t eat them, Big Brother would likely be upset.

Fang Yuean happily ate a sugar figurine with one hand and dried meat with the other.

[Will Big Brother go hunting again tomorrow?]

Huai Ze, unable to get any, spoke sourly: [Still hunting? Do you think it’s still like the old days, when you were poor and scrambling to seize a position?]

Fang Xunli’s hand, holding the cherries, froze.

If it weren’t for Mother telling him beforehand that there was another voice present, he might have been unable to stay calm.

Fang Yuean chose to ignore it: [Such a kind big brother, I can’t let him die.]

Qin Xuan’s smile faded.

The cherries Fang Xunli was eating suddenly lost their flavor.

[Huh? According to Mother’s original plan, Big Brother was supposed to be wrongfully imprisoned before the wedding next year. But now, Mother hasn’t delayed the wedding—what’s going on?]

Fang Yuean finally realized something was wrong.

Huai Ze remained silent for a moment: [Maybe it’s related to her knowing where your father is, or perhaps your appearance accidentally changed something.]

Fang Yuean: [Great, it must be that Mother sensed something was wrong and made a different choice than what the original fate had planned.]

[But will the second household still follow the original fate?]

Huai Ze: [My spiritual power is too weak, I can’t deduce the fate that’s been altered.]

Fang Yuean thought for a moment: [The three who want to harm Big Brother, they’re bound to cause trouble sooner or later. We must remove this danger. Huai Ze, bring me their fate books, I want to see them.]

Huai Ze, squawking: [I don’t trust you a second time! You don’t just look, you change things when you look!]

Fang Yuean decided to take a step back: [Then just tell me if they have any secrets or have done anything bad.]

Huai Ze crossed his wings in front of himself: [You can’t change things that way! You can only subtly influence the thoughts and actions of the Fang family, creating small changes that will shift the original fate.]

Fang Yuean pretended not to hear, and said: [Then change that broken bamboo slip of yours… Ah, the divine slip, make it appear, and write it down for me.]

Huai Ze nearly choked in frustration, turning his bird head away, refusing to look at Fang Yuean.

Fang Yuean: [Didn’t you always say that everything in the world has its own timing? What if I’m meant to be a part of that?]

Huai Ze remained unmoved, also pretending not to hear.

Fang Yuean’s eyes subtly shifted: [Huai Ze, we’ve gone through a hundred reincarnations together, we’ve long been one. Isn’t he my big brother? Isn’t he our big brother?!]

[Are you really going to watch as our big brother gets trapped in a plot, falsely accused of killing the last remaining nephew of Concubine Han?]

[You know, under Concubine Han’s orders, the jailer tortured Big Brother, deafening his ears and cutting his tendons. In the end, Big Brother was wrongfully imprisoned and died alone in the cold winter.]

Huai Ze began chanting a calming mantra.

Fang Yuean, with a choked voice: [And those three villains: my worthless second brother Fang Xuze, who suddenly became the heir; Sister Xu’s cousin Lin Xu, who forcibly married Sister Xu, then tortured her before strangling her to death; Big Brother’s lifelong classmate Song Guangyan, who stole Big Brother’s books and published them as his own, becoming famous for all eternity.]

[Little immortal, tell me—do you think Big Brother was wronged? What an unimaginable injustice! Can you swallow this resentment?]

Huai Ze gasped a couple of times: [Ah! Fine!]

Fang Yuean immediately quieted down, licking the rabbit-shaped sugar figurine, stealing glances at Huai Ze.

Having spent hundreds of years with him, Fang Yuean had long figured out that this little immortal was rigid, cowardly, but kind-hearted.

Getting him to soften was far more effective than scaring him.

Huai Ze was silent for a moment: [You forced me into this, I’ll write it all down for you on the divine slip!]

If this continued, the divine slip might start to smoke from the overload.

Huai Ze secretly hoped that the Divine Lord would appear soon and deal with this little demoness.

Fang Yuean generously said: [Write whatever you want.]

She then added: [As for framing Big Brother for murder, my worthless second brother Fang Xuze is the mastermind. Start with him and see what scandals he’s hiding.]

[If he gets tangled up first, the whole plot will fall apart, and we’ll have time to deal with the others.]

Huai Ze sighed heavily, then slowly closed his eyes, golden light radiating from his head as he began to carefully examine Fang Xuze’s fate book.

After a while, he stared in shock, looking like he had just discovered something unexpected: [He, he’s not even that old, but he’s already a notorious womanizer, and now has three women pregnant with his children.]

Qin Xuan, who was drinking tea, choked and began coughing, while Fang Xunli hurried to pat her back.

Under the cover of Fang Xunli’s body, the mother and son exchanged a glance, both unable to hide their surprised expressions.

Fang Yuean, a little excited, found the dried meat in her mouth even more flavorful: [Quick, quick, tell me more.]