Chapter Seventy-One: The Second Branch

There hadn’t been a break-in at home for ages, and now, of all times, there was one—forcing the mistress to come looking for him. Steward Xing didn’t need to think twice to know that Zhen Qian was behind this, but what could he do about it? Should he storm over to confront Zhen Qian face to face? That would be handing his opponent ammunition on a silver platter. All he could do was grit his teeth and swallow his grievances. What else was there? This was an open conspiracy.

Yet try as he might, Steward Xing couldn’t fathom what Zhen Qian truly intended with this move. He hadn’t pushed Xing into a corner, merely given a taste of trouble, quietly sounding a warning. “Zhen Qian, if you want me dead, I’ll make sure you don’t have an easy time either!” Steward Xing fumed inwardly, though outwardly he soothed the mistress, promising her a string of benefits before finally coaxing her back. Turning to the cool pavilion, he found Madame Xing already back in the front hall, merrily chatting with the guests, gossiping about this family and that, while Zhen Qian had vanished. He called over a maid and learned that Zhen Qian had pleaded illness and left.

Naturally, Zhen Qian had no intention of mingling at such an occasion. Once he’d done what he came to do and said all he needed to say, he simply departed without a second thought. Back in his own courtyard, Zhen Qian felt utterly at ease. The two young girls giggled as they helped him change out of his short-sleeved jacket, unfastened the knot in his hair, then he lounged on a couch by the window, savoring a glass of wine filled with chilled fish, and took a contented sip.

“My lord, what did you say to Madame Xing when you went into the room? She looked both pale and stiff when she came out. Did you make her angry?” Xiao Zhu asked with a mischievous look.

Zhen Qian shot her an exasperated glance, stretched lazily, and tapped her lightly on the head. “What’s the point of anger? Solving the matter is what matters.”

Xiao Mei dutifully sat beside him and began to knead his legs. “Then tell us, what did you say to Madame Xing?”

Zhen Qian smiled faintly, using a storyteller’s art to trim away the details and sketched the scene in broad strokes, skimming delicately over the key points. “Madame Xing has been scheming to make trouble for me and you two. Complicated as it seems, it’s really quite simple: everyone wants to protect their own. I’m the unsightly, unyielding stone in her way, and she’s long wanted to be rid of me. But since I rarely leave the house, it’s not easy for her to find fault and she’s forced to resort to underhanded means.”

Xiao Zhu burst out laughing. “What do you mean you never leave the house? You’re always off somewhere causing mischief, and now you claim there’s nothing to find fault with!”

Xiao Mei frowned. “Doesn’t this mean you’ve confronted Madame Xing directly? How did she respond?”

“What else could she say?” Zhen Qian squinted as the sunlight slanted across his face, and turned away uncomfortably. “Naturally, she expressed reluctance, spouting on about how our branch lacks heirs and siblings must get along, blaming everything on Steward Xing and vowing to keep him in line. She even begged me not to take things to heart, lest someone sow discord between mother and son…”

“That’s it?” Xiao Zhu sniffed dismissively.

“That’s it!” Zhen Qian grinned slyly. “But of course, that’s not the whole truth.”

Recalling the look of embarrassment and fury on Madame Xing’s face, he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at her performance. To have the nerve to act but not the courage to admit it—she was all but ready to toss Steward Xing out as her scapegoat. But that wasn’t the outcome Zhen Qian wanted, which was why, following Wang Qun’s advice, he’d spared Steward Xing for now; otherwise, he could have driven him out of the Zhen family today.

“My lord, tell us what really happened in the end!” Xiao Zhu, curiosity piqued, tugged at Zhen Qian in playful frustration.

“What else? I made things clear to her: her son will never inherit the Zhen family estate, not unless I leave this house.” Zhen Qian’s tone shifted. “Of course, Madame Xing didn’t dare admit she wanted her son to inherit. Instead, she asked what I wanted. I couldn’t very well say I wanted to split the family now, so I told her I was tired of living here and planned to venture out, but I’d need money—a lot of money—and hoped she’d provide the funds for my future.”

“What did she say?” asked Xiao Mei.

Zhen Qian spread his hands. “Nothing yet. She said she’d have to think it over and consult the Second Master. What else could I say?”

“Hmph... Liar!” Xiao Mei rested her head against his chest. “My heart tells me you’re not telling the whole truth!”

Of course he wasn’t. There were things he couldn’t tell these two girls—not because he didn’t trust them, but because family scandals should not be aired outside. To speak ill of Madame Xing and the Zhen family would do him no good, and would only cast a shadow over these girls’ hearts; that would be truly unwise.

“So what do you want me to say?” Zhen Qian feigned innocence. “This is none of your concern. Let Madame Xing worry about it. We’ll just sit back and watch the show.”

Zhen Qian had tossed a heavy stone into the still lake; now, the one most vexed was undoubtedly Madame Xing. As Zhen Qian jested with his two girls, Madame Xing sat in her room, brow deeply furrowed, with not a trace of birthday joy on her face. Today’s farce had left her utterly unsettled, and she could barely contain herself whenever she recalled Zhen Qian’s parting words.

A family split!

Madame Xing wished nothing more than for Zhen Qian to leave, for his presence irked her more than swallowing a fly. Yet, after today’s fiasco, things had changed. The thought of having to pay a hefty sum to send Zhen Qian away made her skin crawl.

At that moment, seeing the very person who had set all this in motion, Madame Xing’s anger flared. Yet, when she saw the vivid red handprints on Steward Xing’s face, she realized she couldn’t push this scapegoat too far. She asked, “What’s your view of all this?”

Steward Xing, for his part, was seething inside, but one must bow to circumstance. He bowed respectfully, “Madam, since Second Master also wants Zhen Qian to get some experience outside, why not go along with it and send him away…”

Zhen Qian was unaware of the Zhen family’s current situation. “And the money?”

Zhen Qian hadn’t committed any great crime to warrant expulsion from the family; he was entitled to his rightful share. That was the rule in great clans: no one should be sent away empty-handed. Yet Madame Xing’s heart ached at the thought of parting with so much.

Steward Xing had been surprised, tricked, and frightened by Zhen Qian all in one day. If it weren’t for the absence of heart conditions, he would have been dead from the ordeal. Deep down, he was desperate for Zhen Qian to leave so he could seize the position of chief steward. With that in mind, he steeled himself and said, “Better to rip off the bandage quickly than drag it out. Instead of waiting for Zhen Qian to make a mistake, we might as well send him away now. Didn’t Second Master intend for Zhen Qian to establish a branch of the family? Why not just lay things out openly? It wouldn’t be you driving him out, madam. As for the family assets, just return him his birth mother’s dowry. That way, you’ll appear fair and just, and no one can criticize you openly!”