Chapter 16

The story now divides into two parts. While Ying Yue was engaged in her written conversation with Fang Han Xiao, Madam Hong had already received the latest news from Tranquil Virtue Courtyard.  

The Qian family’s servant stood cautiously at the lower end of the room and said, “—The lady of the house repeatedly emphasized that the old master’s rest and recuperation are of utmost importance, so I didn’t dare argue with them too much and hurried here to report to you, Madam.”  

“A man’s youngest son and eldest grandson are the apples of his eye.”  

Madam Hong had been sipping a bowl of bird’s nest soup, but upon hearing this, she set the small white porcelain bowl down on the table with a crisp clink. A faint, cold smile curled her lips. “No wonder the common folk say such things. That eldest grandson has only been back for a few days, yet the old master’s people are already following his orders. He doesn’t even need to speak—just a glance from him is more effective than an imperial decree.”  

The Qian family’s servant, sensing her displeasure, didn’t dare utter a word.  

“Tell me, what kind of fortune does the eldest branch have?” Madam Hong asked her. “Let’s not even mention the elder ones—even an eight-year-old brat is this difficult to handle. Back when I raised her, I never treated her poorly, yet she stubbornly refused to comply and even made a scene in front of the old master. Now that a fake has been brought into the household, she treats her like a treasure, eagerly leading her to pay respects to the old master—anything from the eldest branch, no matter how worthless, is held in higher regard than us!”  

The Qian family’s servant forced a smile and said, “The eldest young lady has always been stubborn and ungrateful since childhood. Please don’t take her to heart, Madam. It’s not worth getting upset over her.”  

“She’s not just stubborn. Before Han Xiao returned, she wasn’t like this,” Madam Hong said coolly. “Now that Han Xiao is back, she has someone to back her up, and suddenly she’s become bold.”  

The servant thought about it and realized it was true. In the past, Fang Hui had been sharp-tongued even as a child, but she had never dared to openly challenge Madam Hong to her face.  

She quickly added, “Madam’s insight is as sharp as ever. Indeed, ever since the young master returned, the eldest young lady has been glaring at him coldly. This old servant even thought she still held a grudge against him.”  

“He’s her own full brother. No matter how deep the grudge, how far could it go?” Madam Hong said. “Huijie’er knows exactly what she’s doing. Otherwise, no matter how hard I tried to win her over, she remained cold, yet the moment Han Xiao brought a fake into the house, she accepted her?”  

The servant nodded. “Madam speaks wisely. Speaking of which, the young master is rather strange too. The Xu family trampled all over his dignity, and you and Lord Fang wanted to stand up for him—wasn’t that out of goodwill? Yet he refused. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t make sense of it.”  

At this, Madam Hong’s brows furrowed deeply. She couldn’t understand it either.  

She and Lord Fang had discussed it late into the night but still couldn’t reach a conclusion.  

Even if, by some stretch, Fang Han Xiao had seen through their plan to use him as leverage against the Longchang Marquis Mansion, this matter wasn’t harmful to him. Could it be that, out of some lingering resentment, he would rather treat his own marriage as a joke just to thwart the second branch’s plans?  

Wasn’t that like sacrificing eight thousand to kill ten thousand?  

“Madam, don’t overexert yourself worrying,” the servant said cautiously, observing her expression. “Perhaps the young master is just acting willfully. Five years ago, though the old master had no choice but to petition to revoke his Heir Apparent Position, he repeatedly promised to arrange other prospects for him and even pledged to leave his private wealth to him, ensuring a lifetime of prosperity. Wasn’t that considerate enough? Yet he just left a note and ran away, breaking the old master’s heart so badly that he took to his bed for over a month. And now that he’s back, what does he have to show for it? Empty-handed, still relying on the old master’s favor. If he knew it would come to this, why did he waste all those years wandering outside?”

Madam Hong’s expression did not improve. Regardless of Fang Han Xiao’s true intentions, Lord Fang had indeed missed a rare opportunity, and it was uncertain whether such a coincidence would occur again.

Seeing her words had little effect, The Qian family’s servant cautiously added fuel to the fire: “But fortunately, he ran away. Otherwise, during the time when the old master doted on him the most, he would have given him anything he asked for. Over five years, he might have emptied the old master’s private treasury even before his passing. You and Lord Fang, being magnanimous, wouldn’t argue with a crippled nephew, but you would have suffered a silent loss.”

This finally struck a chord with Madam Hong. Her brows relaxed slightly, though she said, “Nonsense. As descendants, we should be filial to the old master. Who would think about his belongings?”

The Qian family’s servant hurriedly agreed, “Yes, yes. This old servant has only petty, unrefined thoughts, nowhere near as noble as your heart, Madam.”

Noticing Madam Hong’s slightly improved mood, she dared to remind her, “As for Tranquil Virtue Courtyard, what should we do—?”

“What should we do? Let him be.” Madam Hong’s tone grew heated again. “If he’s so capable, let him take that impostor to the old master and see if it kills him. If anything happens to the old master, let’s see how he fares in this household!”

The Qian family’s servant thought it over and realized she was right. Old Master Fang was Fang Han Xiao’s greatest support. Though he had kept the fake bride to oppose the second branch, he wouldn’t dare let Fang Hui truly run wild and bring her before the old master. Thus, she needn’t worry.

The servant smiled and said, “Whatever happens, it will be entirely up to you, Madam.”

Hearing this, Madam Hong’s eyebrows lifted, and a faint smile finally appeared on her face.

**

At this moment, Old Master Fang had just finished his medicine.

Fang Han Xiao handed the empty bowl to the maid standing by, took the towel she offered, and wiped the traces of medicine from Old Master Fang’s mouth.

His movements were rougher than the maid’s—what he called “wiping the mouth” practically covered half the old man’s face.

Then he removed the pillow behind Old Master Fang, wrapped his arm around the old man’s frail, emaciated body, and helped him lie back down.

Here, he had an advantage over the maid. In the prime of his youth, he moved Old Master Fang effortlessly, swiftly and steadily, ensuring the old man felt no discomfort.

Old Master Fang lay back peacefully. His face was sallow and dull, devoid of color, his cheeks sunken from illness, and his eyes half-closed and listless. He was gravely ill.

Yet, this was actually an improvement from over half a month ago, when his condition had deteriorated to the point he could barely stay conscious.

As Fang Han Xiao turned to put away the towel, Old Master Fang called weakly, “Xiao’er.”

Fang Han Xiao paused.

“Have you really thought this through? Are you sure you want to do this?”

Fang Han Xiao turned back and nodded.

“Nonsense.” Old Master Fang struggled to twitch his lips. “Listen to your grandfather. Send that girl back. This old bones of mine won’t last much longer. Before I go, I’ll petition the Emperor for your future—he won’t refuse. Then you can choose another suitable young lady—”

He couldn’t go on, because Fang Hanxiao had taken a piece of paper from the standing cabinet at the foot of the bed and thrust it right in front of his eyes. On it were written four large characters: “Rest and recover.”

Old Master Fang stared at the paper, his wrinkled eyelids twitching in irritation. “Take—take that away!” he snapped.

The little brat had been away for a few years, and while he hadn’t improved in other areas, he’d somehow picked up this infuriating habit of shutting people up—and worse, he only used it on him! Did he really not care if he angered his grandfather to death?

Fang Hanxiao was obedient enough—he moved the paper away.

Old Master Fang took a deep breath to steady himself and continued, “I know you resent me for this. It was my fault—I was blinded by the glory of forming ties with the Minister of Justice. I never expected him to pass away so soon, leaving behind such useless descendants—”

He stopped again. Fang Hanxiao had swapped the paper for another, dangling it before his eyes: “No resentment. Truly, none.”

“…”

Old Master Fang tried to calm himself again, but it was no use. If these papers had been written on the spot, it might have been tolerable. But no—they were all prepared in advance! The moment he started lecturing or persuading him, Fang Hanxiao would pull these out in response. The most infuriating part? They always fit the situation perfectly!

Fang Hanxiao moved the paper aside again, waiting quietly for him to continue.

He truly didn’t seem to hold any grudge—his handsome features were composed, his expression serene.

But Old Master Fang couldn’t bring himself to believe it. He knew he had wronged him. A child once doted on with all his heart had suffered a misfortune, and instead of showering him with even more affection, he had stripped away his future, driving him to flee in anger. Now, the child still cared for him—knowing he was ill, he had returned and tended to him tirelessly, day and night. And yet, the marriage arrangement he had made for him had gone awry…

Yes, Madam Hong had been mistaken. Fang Hanxiao had been staying in Tranquil Virtue Courtyard ever since his return—last night included. After the wedding banquet ended, he had immediately informed Old Master Fang of the Xu family’s trickery.

Far from being angered to death, Old Master Fang had been jolted back to life in an instant.

With his grandson finally home, Old Master Fang had initially felt his remaining wishes fulfilled. He could submit his final memorial, hand over his private treasury to his grandson, and peacefully close his eyes. But now—no, that wouldn’t do.

He wasn’t even dead yet, and the Xu family already dared to treat his grandson with such disrespect! If he passed now, how badly would his grandson be bullied?

And now, with him rendered mute—unable to even speak up when wronged—ah, the thought alone made Old Master Fang’s heart ache unbearably, no matter how tempered it was by life. It felt as though an invisible thread was stubbornly holding onto his last breath, refusing to let him go in peace to reunite with his late wife and eldest son.

What would he even say to his eldest son? His son had entrusted his child to him with full confidence, believing his father would never mistreat his grandson. Yet, in just a few years, he had let the boy end up like this. Forget his son and daughter-in-law—even his late wife would scold him to death!

At this point, Old Master Fang had conveniently forgotten how Fang Hanxiao could silence him with just two sheets of paper. His tone softened as he sighed helplessly, “Xiao’er, what is it you really want?”

Fang Hanxiao walked back to the standing cabinet—Old Master Fang hurriedly called out, “Stop! I don’t want to see it!”

Too late. Fang Hanxiao turned around and flicked the paper open with a snap. Six bold characters leaped into view: “Worry less. Rest more.”

These three sheets of paper were the ones Old Master Fang saw most frequently—enough to answer nearly all his questions.

Old Master Fang, who had been thoroughly fooled, was too exhausted to be angry anymore. After closing his eyes for a long moment, he finally said, “—Fine, I won’t interfere. But bring that girl here for me to see.”

Whether she was genuine or fake, she had already been brought into the household. He needed to get a sense of what kind of person this future eldest grandson’s wife was.

This time, Fang Hanxiao didn’t pull any tricks. He simply nodded and left.

Old Master Fang finally felt a little better.

Ah, the heart of a grandfather knows no bounds.