The three of them walked into the lobby, where Han Mingxiu and Grandma Han were already waiting. There was a book next to Han Mingxiu, and he looked like he was reading hard.

Han Xiao sneered in his heart and pretended to be serious.

The clan leader saw Han Mingxiu reviewing his lessons seriously, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. Mingxiu was indeed doing well. As for Mingyuan, he glanced at Han Mingyuan beside him and sighed in his heart. Mingyuan's talent was much higher than Mingxiu's, but he was just unlucky.

He straightened his expression, found a seat and sat down. Grandma Han quickly poured him a cup of tea.

This was the first time Han Xiao saw Han Mingxiu. The Han family had good genes. Both Han’s father and the original owner were handsome and good-looking.

Han Mingxiu's features are somewhat similar to Han Mingyuan's, but his mouth is probably inherited from his mother, which is a bit harsh. However, his gentle temperament like jade neutralizes this harshness, making him look extremely handsome.

Seeing the clan leader coming in, Han Mingxiu quickly saluted. His neither humble nor arrogant, and not at all flustered, made the clan leader look at him with a higher regard.

The clan leader sat down and drank a sip of tea: "Mingxiu, do you know why I came here today?"

Han Mingxiu stood up and saluted again after hearing this: "My nephew knows, I'm sorry to have troubled the clan leader."

The clan leader nodded with satisfaction and looked at Han Xiao: "Tell me, what happened between you two today? Why did you fight?"

Han Mingxiu looked up at Han Xiao and motioned him to speak first. It seemed that he had already thought of a countermeasure.

Father Han patted Han Xiao's shoulder and said, "Xiao'er, tell me what happened. I believe you wouldn't do it for no reason."

Han Xiao nodded and told Han Mingyuan not to worry. Although he didn't know what conspiracy Han Mingxiu had, he still didn't believe that Han Mingxiu could go to heaven.

Seeing Han Xiao's pale face, the clan leader couldn't bear to let him stand and talk, so he gestured for him to sit down. Grandma Han reluctantly poured Han Xiao a cup of hot water, cursing under her breath.

Although the clan leader didn't hear clearly, he knew it was not a good thing. He coughed, and frightened Grandma Han so much that she didn't dare to say anything.

Han Xiao took a sip of tea to ease the dryness in his mouth, and raised an eyebrow at Grandma Han, which made Grandma Han's expression even worse.

"Here's what happened. This morning, when I came back from collecting grass for the pigs, I saw my second uncle rummaging through my room."

Han Xiao glanced at Han Mingxiu as he spoke. Han Mingxiu's expression remained unchanged, as if what Han Xiao said had nothing to do with him.

"I went up to ask my second uncle what he was looking for, and he said he wanted to borrow the jade pendant that grandpa left me." At this point, Han Xiao looked at Han Mingxiu and said, "Second uncle, if you want to see the jade pendant, you can just tell father. Why did you have to steal it?"

Hearing this, the clan leader's expression turned cold. Stealing is a serious crime. Even if one is a juren, he will be sent to jail. Why is Han Mingxiu so confused?

When Han Mingxiu heard Han Xiao mention stealing, his calm expression froze a little, then changed drastically, with an expression that he would rather die than surrender. "Xiao'er, why are you slandering me like this? I clearly told you a few days ago that I needed to borrow your jade pendant. You left before dawn today, and I was anxious, so I went to your room to look for it."

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. The original owner had indeed said this in his memory, but the original owner had refused and did not agree to it. Han Mingxiu was deliberately misleading the patriarch.

"Second Uncle did say that, but I didn't agree at the time. And Second Uncle also said that taking something without asking is stealing. Second Uncle is a scholar, so he should know that."

He coughed twice as he spoke, and then continued, "And when Second Uncle was searching my room, I refused. He forced me to do it, so we had no choice but to argue. Then he pushed me down, and I don't remember what happened after that."

After Han Xiao finished speaking, he looked at the clan leader. Since the clan leader could sit in this position, he must not be stupid. Looking at the expressions of Han Xiao and the other man, he knew that Han Xiao was not lying. He just didn't understand why Han Mingxiu went to Han Xiao to borrow the jade pendant.

"Mingxiu, why did you ask Han Xiao to borrow the jade pendant?"

Han Mingxiu knew the problem was coming from the clan leader's expression, and immediately said sadly: "Clan leader, you don't know, Mingxiu just passed the imperial examination, and my classmates often invite me to attend banquets. Clan leader, you also know the situation at home. My mother is old, and Mingxiu really doesn't have any decent accessories. That's why I wanted to borrow them from Han Xiao."

Han Mingxiu spoke with deep emotion, as if he had really no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. The clan leader sitting in the upper seat also sighed when he heard it. It was indeed difficult for the Han family to support two scholars at the time.

Thinking about this, he looked at Han Xiao and said, "Han Xiao, this incident is indeed your uncle's fault again, but you are all family, so even if you break bones, you are still connected. This time, let your uncle apologize to you, and the matter will be over. There is no need to make it ugly and let the villagers laugh at you. How do you feel, Mingyuan?"

Seeing the clan leader asking Han Mingyuan, Han Mingxiu kept tightening his grip on the teacup. He and his half-brother had been estranged for a long time. The focus of this matter was not on Han Xiao, but on Han Mingyuan's attitude.

Han Xiao was young and easy to persuade, but Han Mingyuan was different. Thinking of Han Mingxiu, he knelt down in front of Han Mingyuan.

Everyone was startled immediately, and Grandma Han was so anxious that she wanted to help him up: "Mingxiu, what are you doing? Get up quickly."

The clan leader was also frightened by this sudden action. He stood up and was about to help Han Mingxiu, but Han Mingxiu waved them away and said to Han Mingyuan, "Brother, I was wrong this time. I shouldn't have been so greedy and wanted to take Han Xiao's jade pendant, and I shouldn't have pushed my nephew and made him suffer so much. I want to apologize to you first. No matter how you deal with me, Mingxiu will have no complaints."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!