Joy of Life - Volume 2 - Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Give Mountains, Give Rivers, Give Snuff Bottles

Unfortunately for him, the shop owner gave him a glare and closed the box and prepared to take put it back inside the shop, as if annoyed by Fan Xian’s inability to see value. Fan Xian wanted to quickly call him back to renegotiate the price, when unexpectedly, Wang Qiannian, who had been standing right by in silence the entire time, signaled Fan Xian with his eyes. Confused, Fan Xian followed him out.

With respect, Wang Qiannian said to Fan Xian, "Your Highness, allow me to go ask." He then entered the shop, which lacked a signboard. After a while, Wang Qiannian came out, this time with a very green snuff bottle. He took the bills of money worth four hundred taels from Fan Xian and gave them to the shop owner, whose face was of a very unhealthy color.

...

Wang Qiannan smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes blossoming like a chrysanthemum—the man was over forty years old, after all. He explained, "He wasn’t exactly dishonest. The snuff bottle is worth a bit over three hundred at most. We gave him four hundred, that’s not really bullying."

Wang Qiannian laughed, "Your Highness, did you forget what I did for a living before joining the Council?"
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"So you picked it up from your time as a lone thief."

When they returned to Fan Manor, Wang Qiannian’s men dispersed, leaving Fan Xian in the hands of his own protection force. It was at that time that the line-pulled screen fan Fan Xian had ordered previously arrived as well. As the servants hurried to take in the order, the accountant said to Fan Xian, with a pained expression, "These are nice, but it’s too expensive. Young Master, you bought five of them, and that’s difficult to explain to My Lady."

Fan Xian gave a faint smile and greeted his aunt. The relationship between the two of them was quite awkward at the moment; it couldn’t be called close, but there wasn’t enough of a grudge to make them full-fledged enemies.

Lady Liu smiled and shook her head. "You’ll understand soon enough. Who could afford them at that price? Summer is only so long, it wouldn’t be much more expensive if you dug an icehouse."

Lady Liu chuckled, "While no one has said anything about it, everyone knows that the emperor sponsors the inner treasury. Would anyone dare to copy it? With just a single word, the Overwatch Council could frame you with anything and have you i

mprisoned or exiled."

In Lady Liu’s family, her mother’s side was one of the great clans in the capital. Three generations ago, there had been a duke. Whenever the word "duke" was mentioned in the Fan household, it was in reference to Grand Duke Liu Heng.

In fact, it was by chance that Fan Xian thought to improve the relationship between Lady Liu and the Liu household; if he wanted Fan Sizhe to stand firmly by his side, there was sure to be some family quarrel that he would want to avoid, and Lady Liu might… once again do something that would prevent the two sides from coming to terms.

Fan Xian forced down his emotions with a frown and convinced himself that his true enemies were the empress and the eldest princess.

Lin Ruofu smiled and stood up. He unraveled the scroll on the table, revealing a painting. That painting, too, depicted an old fisherman fishing by a river that disappeared into the horizon. The rest of the painting depicted a snowy scene. Next to the painting was a poem.

Yuan Hongdao smiled uneasily and thought about how strange this Fan Xian was. Lin Ruofu had recently lost his eldest son; he hadn’t yet returned to his old self, and for some reason, Fan Xian decided to give him such a depressing painting and poem. Yuan Hongdao fell silent for a moment before something caught his eye. "Your Highness, look here." He pointed at something on the painting.

"This is…?"

In response to the barely visible shoots of grass, Lin Ruofu’s expressions gradually softened. "Looks like you’ve taken a liking to this Fan Xian also."

"Sounds like he’s the perfect person to you?" Lin Ruofu smiled before continuing, "If Chen’er can live a good life after being married to him, all is well." He suddenly lowered his voice, "but regarding that incident, can you really confirm it."

"Ah." Lin Ruofu half-closed his eyes. "I thought as much. I actually don’t care about Fan Xian’s background and education, only his nature and methods. It would be the best if he has a good nature but merciless methods of action. This way, once I die, the Lin household and my only son and daughter will be protected."

"How are things going outside?" Lin Ruofu asked gently.

"Why is the sky blue?"

"Why is the sea blue?"

"Why is the pond clear and not blue?"

"Ah?"

Fan Xian knew the eldest son of the prime minister was not healthy, but he hadn’t expected him to be mentally challenged. For reasons unknown to Fan Xian, the prime minister still hadn’t come to greet him. Hanging around the back garden, he ran across his elder brother-in-law, and could only chat along. Fan Xian secretly laughed to himself, wondering if this chubby, mentally-challenged child would get angry and beat him.

Fan Xian’s brother-in-law twisted his lips, his fat cheeks making his face appear even rounder. "My name is Big Bao; my little brother is Little Bao. Little Bao hasn’t been home in a long time."
Fan Xian was shaken upon hearing this. He thought of the late Lin Gong. The next instant, he had no idea what to say to his brother-in-law in front of him.