LOGINOnce Qi Fan entered his father's study, she immediately saw him frowning while reading few reports. The smell of ink and books lingers around the room calming her agitated heart.
She was happy that she is finally Guanting's bethrothed. Every night before sleeping she always imagine how her wedding procession will go, how she look wearing a wedding attire and the man she loves receiving her in Long Fu next month always makes her smile unknowlingly. She just didn't expect for Xiuying to recover nor for her cousin to witness the intimate interaction between her and Guanting this morning.
"Sit down." Qi Chang's tired voice awakens her from daydreaming, she slowly sit facing her father. Her father who always seem sharp at everything he does now seems to have aged suddenly. She can't help but think how Third Uncle confronted her parents and grandfather this morning. The always calm and collected gaze of his uncle she always admire now looks like a storm that destroys everything in its way in her eyes.
"Do you know what you did wrong Fan'er?" Qi Chang stares at his only daughter, Fan'er have always excelled inheriting her mother's talents in singing, playing guqin and flute aside from being intelligent that most tutors they've hired praises her that's why he favors her the most.
"Yes father, I apologize for not being careful in my actions even though I'm inside the manor." After few minutes of silence Fan'er solemnly answered she knows what she wasn't careful enough even if Xiuying didn't recover there are eyes and ears everywhere.
"Good that you aren't like your mother who doesn't know when to stop and not admitting her faults." Qi Chang sighed before continuing. "We don't have any way to solve this, it seems Qi Chen have long known your relationship with Guanting. It has been more than a year since that time, he thoroughly investigated everything and once they move out even the businesses will not be divided accordingly. We will even loss some of our wealth! Fan'er once you married to Guanting you know what to do to recover our losses and when you meet with him ask for him to help our stores these following days will be more troublesome."
"I understand Father I'll make sure to make arrangement once I am able to and use Long clan's connections to make the situation in the stores be stable. Fan'er thanks Father for making Fan'er be the fiance of Guanting." Qi Fan bow to her father to express her gratitude but in her mind she wants to cut Xiuying's face a million times without her everything would have been better.
She doesn't need to compete for Guanting, luckily her man believed the rumors of Xiuying being ugly and talentless as her cousin didn't step out of the manor without wearing her veil or disguising.
"Good! I want you to visit your grandfather now that he is disappointed with me and your mother, you need to make sure that you don't loss his favor. Go to him and apologize." Qi Chang wave his left hand to gesture Qi Fan that she can now go.
"Yes Father." Qi Fan gracefully stands up and exits the study leaving Qi Chang who is thinking how to improve the businesses that soon he needs to manage. Though he isn't like Qi Chen who is well known merchant and have connections with most prominent families, his own businesses are stable but adding the family businesses that will be under his and brother's management once the third branch move out he knows he won't be able to handle everything at his best.
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The news of Qi Chen's family separating from the Qi clan spreads out and the people residing near Qi Fu have the necks seemed to extend an inch as they try to see the Qi's third branch load their possessions in several big carriages. Everyone is curious for the reason of this sudden change. Few smart ones were able to connect it to the rumors of Long clan's change of fiance from Qi Chen's daughter Xiuying, who had an accident more than a year ago, to Qi Chang's only daughter Qi Fan who is well known as one of the four beauties whose talents are praised by royal family.
They also heard that Xiuying's recovery but most were sad for her as she is known to be talentless and haven't gone out of Qi manor now she will have difficulty in getting married as main wife. Because everyone sees the ladies who were replaced by another as fiance, are viewed as not suitable to be main wife unless Qi Chen would allow her only daughter to be married as concubine.
They also noticed the gloomy atmosphere inside the Qi manor not even the Patriach, two elders and their families are present to send off the third branch, this only proves that this is definitely the third branch severing ties with the family.
While everyone is busy with their own speculations and chattering they didn't notice a lady wearing pastel green hanfu gets in one of the carriages along with her trusted maidservants because some of the tall guards were instructed by Qi Chen to block people from seeing her daughter.
Zhao Xianyao titled Jun Wang by the previous emperor due to his credit in military. Every person in the kingdom fear at the same time admire the young general. He accompanied the Old General Xi as a disciple since ten years old despite being a prince the old general treated him like any soldier he trained which Xianyao admired. The young prince trained and fight along with Qi Ming who later became his best friend. Xianyao is very talented both in fighting and making strategies earning the trust and admiration of his fellow soldiers including the stubborn eccentric old general though he doesn't say it. During the selection for the crown prince, Xianyao supported his brother and step down from the competition. The prince said he doesn't want to be inside a golden cage when old general heard this he recommended the prince to replace him in managing the army of the kingdom while having Qi Ming as his vice general.No one would expect that the man who is always seen to bath with h
After two months of being away from the capital Long Guanting came back in Long Fu and is currently in Qi Fan's courtyard. Qi Fan have been six months pregnant and being taken care of the two wet nurses assigned by Patriach Long.Looking at the woman resting in front of him, he can't help but feel disgusted. Discovering all the schemes done by Qi Fan and her parents to Qi Xiuying behind his back, he is helpless at the retribution he is facing. His supposedly wife whom he now love can be engage to another man that is most probably be Jun Wang, as he heard of the frequent visits of the prince to Ying Yue and in Qi Chen's residence. Now he recalls what his grandfather told him when he went to Ying Yue during the first banquet held for the closest aides if the emperor.The road I chose indeed is one without a way out huh... He can't help but mock himself for being a fool. He loved Qi Fan and is sure of it but discovering that all the instances they have met were all fabric
"Young miss Old Hu came..." Xiao Hua said while looking at Xiuying who busily checking the month's revenue of Ying Yue."Bring him in." Xiuying instructed without removing her attention to the account books."Young miss..." the old man from the slum bowed respectfully."Elder Hu you came is there anything urgent?" Xiuying looks up seeing the man's appearance far from he usually looks like when she visits the slums. He was wearing a decent attire of Ying Yue's employees and with a stern bearing, people who don't know him would assume right away that he have the same position as Manager Ba."One of our people in Fang Fei courtyard found this." He gave the sachet decorated with white lilies. Xiuying sniffed the faint fragrance from it, her expression changed drastically. "Did you know who gave it to Fang Fei?""It was given by Qi Chang's second wife named Lin Hei. I think you noticed that there's a faint smell of opium poppies and salvia which results
Qi Lei accompanied Qi Fan in returning to Long Fu, she still can't believe that her father killed Fang Fei and is now in jail she have lost her support. Although their grandfather is still alive he is in critical condition and there's no guarantee that he will wake up soon. If he does by then Qi Bai have already stabilized his position as the heir since her brother is still too young."Qi Lei... I need your help we can't let uncle take control of Qi Fu... I will lose my support to stabilize my position here in Long Fu!" Qi Fan said while biting her nails as they arrived in her courtyard's receiving area. Qi Lei just stared at his sister before taking steps to leave but he heard another scream from her. "Qi Lei! You ungrateful bastard you shouldn't have been born if father didn't need a heir!"Instead of walking towards Long Fu's gate Qi Lei went to Patriach Long's study and sees the housekeeper guarding it. "May I ask if Patriach Long will have few minutes to spare?"
"Master, Fang Fei was killed by Qi Chang this morning but it was concealed that the first madam died due to illness as for Eleven she is safe and ready for your next task while Qi Bao is currently in critical condition.""Is Qi Bao concious at least?" Xianyao smirked as he listened to the report of One."Yes.""I see, advise Qi Bai to make sure he will be the one to inherit everything in Qi Fu. Have Qi Fu's physician declare that Qi Chang became insane due to what happened. Have the city peacekeeper detain Qi Chang. About Eleven tell her to leave Qi Fu, her role as second wife of Qi Chang's done.""Master, should we tell Mistress about this?" One asked since both of them are causing problem in Qi and Long Fu, his master should at least show off his efforts to the Mistress."She doesn't need to know, she'll be mad at me once she knows I laid my hands on her enemies."I see Master is truly knows Mistress, why am I so dumb about what Mistress w
Xiuying is currently walking near the slum with her maidservants and guards with baskets full of food from Ying Yue. It has been a habit of hers to visit the slum to provide food on weekly basis though she only go personally once a month. While Xue'er and Xiao Hua are handing out the food to the people, Xiuying had Ping, one of father's shadow guards go with her and rest in the same residence of the old couple."Thank you for helping me out these past months." Xiuying elegantly bowed to pay respect and thanks the old couple. "You don't need to thank us at all Young Miss as what we did give us benefits to help the children here finally go to school and physician to check their health." The old man stated, few months ago Xiuying went to them to hire them to sabotage the stores of Qi Chang and Long Guanting. Though they just needed to reveal the dirt in Qi Chang's stores they took time to do it so it wouldn't arouse any suspicion. Despite being an asshole it is not surprising th