Fu Wen did not disappoint his master's expectations, and even exceeded them.
He spread a rumor, earning his master three thousand taels of silver. With the help of his secret guards, he intercepted the Pei family's letter to the capital and sent out spies to thoroughly investigate every connection between the Pei family and the capital.
He couldn't wait to see his master deal with those scoundrels from the Pei family!
The master's affection for the Jiao family is genuine, but he has absolutely no feelings for the Pei family. Even if the maternal grandmother, Old Madam Cheng, were to personally intervene, the master might not show any mercy!
Who told them to dare touch Miss Jiang!
The fact that the Pei family had no news did not mean that the Minister's Mansion was also blind. After receiving his son's letter, Fu Ting sat in his study for a long time, feeling quite helpless.
He couldn't understand his son. He said his son was good at hiding his true feelings, yet his actions were faster than his father's! He said his son lacked discretion, yet he knew the laws of Qing Kingdom inside and out. He said his son was heartless and ruthless, yet he protected that family like the apple of his eye.
It was all because those people crossed his bottom line! He could disregard anyone or anything, including his father and the entire Minister's mansion; the only person he truly cared about was that family!
Fu Ting stared at the word "father" in the letter with a look of desolation, feeling a mix of emotions. It seemed he would have to work harder to get his son to truly accept him as his father.
As for other people and things, could they be more important than his son?
Thinking of this, Fu Ting suddenly remembered his other son.
He paced back and forth in the study, looking somewhat troubled.
Frankly, he still hasn't learned to be a good father. Although he's spent eighteen years with his illegitimate son, he can't remember what they did when they were alone together. But he remembers every word and every scene from his legitimate son, whom he's only known for three years.
While the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was certainly a reason, the most fundamental reason was that he liked the clean and gentle aura emanating from this child. He was talented, righteous, knew his place, and knew when to advance and retreat; he was extremely well-mannered.
His eyes and his heart naturally fell on his eldest son, and he even slowly began to feel the joy of fatherhood. Unfortunately, the child didn't seem to appreciate his feelings.
No matter what, they are still father, sons, and brothers. A father should act like a father, and a son should fulfill his duties as a son. As for the brothers, they are even more closely connected by blood. No one can mess up the relationship between the three of them!
On his way here, Fu Qichen couldn't help but wonder if his father had decided how to deal with him. These past few days, after he finished his shift, he had been staying at the house outside with his aunt, but he was constantly waiting for his father's final order.
He never thought he could escape this ordeal; he knew his father better than anyone else.
Of course, no one knew this, not even the father himself.
Fu Qichen entered his father's study for the first time without being announced. He nervously clenched his fists, lowered his head and stood in front of the bookshelf, calling out softly "Father" to the shadow cast on the floor in front of the bookshelf.
The shadow didn't move, but a clear voice came from it, "There's a letter on the table, take a look."
Fu Qichen obediently picked up the letter and read it from beginning to end.
It's about some recent events involving the Pei family, the richest family in Yuzhou, which have implicated several murder cases in Guyang Town. But even if these matters were to reach the capital, they should be handled by the Dali Temple, not by the Six Ministries, much less by someone as insignificant as him.
Unless… Fu Qichen’s mind flashed with the thought of the relationship between the Pei family and his stepmother. His expression changed, and he shouted angrily, “It wasn’t me! I have never had any contact with the Pei family, nor have I sent anyone to Guyang Town… Anyway, it wasn’t me!”
Fu Ting stopped turning the pages of his book and turned back in surprise to look at his illegitimate son's pale face. "Did I say anything? I wanted you to see the role the Pei family played in these cases and the potential impact on them. What are you really thinking?"
Fu Qichen looked down at his elongated shadow on the ground, paused for a moment, and said, "Didn't you already decide how to punish me?"
Fu Ting sighed from the bottom of his heart, closed the book, and threw it forcefully onto the table. "Didn't your older brother say in his letter that he doesn't blame you?"
Fu Qichen's hands trembled slightly as he mustered his courage and said, "Elder brother is elder brother, and you are you. Even if elder brother can let it go in his heart, you cannot tolerate your son's insubordination!"
Fu Ting stared silently at his illegitimate son for a long time before saying with a strange expression, "I didn't expect you to know your father so well. Now, would you like to guess how your father will punish you?"
"Father, please give your instructions. Your son is willing to accept any punishment!" Fu Qichen knelt down, feeling a chill run through his body.
Fu Ting rubbed his temples, saying with a hint of helplessness, "You're all so successful, you might as well not bother your old man!"
After saying that, he tapped the letter on the table. "Get up! I called you here because of this letter. Use all the power at your disposal to help your elder brother hold back the Pei family! Remember, you both have the surname Fu. If the Pei family wants to deal with your elder brother, you have to hand him a knife, right?"
Fu Qichen looked up in astonishment, asking incredulously, "No, Father, that's the Pei family...!"
"So what! I didn't care even though your older brother told me not to, but you complained when I asked you to hand him a knife...!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I don't mind! I'll go prepare right away!" Fu Qichen finally managed to straighten his attitude before his father got angry, and ran out of the study covered in sweat.
"Nonsense! Utterly foolish...!" Fu Ting was still inside, throwing things around and cursing.
Fu Qichen hid behind a pillar and eavesdropped for a while before letting out a long sigh of relief.
It's good that he can swear; it means his father isn't really angry. What he fears most is his father's indifference and lack of concern for anything, because that's what truly drives him to despair.
For example, every time he saw his stepmother and father arguing, and his father would leave indifferently, his stepmother's eyes would always show a suffocating sense of despondency and despair.
Therefore, compared to the concubine, the legal mother was the most pitiful woman!
It was the first time Jiang Shan had ever seen a silver needle, longer than a finger, slowly pierce into a person's brain. Just watching it made her feel a pang of pain, but Fu Qiyuan didn't utter a single sound from beginning to end.
But he was clearly trembling all over, and the handkerchiefs used to wipe his sweat were soaked through.
"Doctor Xie, are you all better yet?" Jiang Shan couldn't help but ask.
"Two more needles." Physician Xie pointed to the silver needles gleaming coldly in the box.
Jiang Shan couldn't bear to watch any longer, and her fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.
When the second silver needle pierced in, Fu Qiyuan groaned and grabbed Jiang Shan's hand.
Jiang Shan closed his eyes, tightly grasped Fu Qiyuan's hand, and silently gave him strength.
The baby's cries rang out from time to time, and Jiao's mother was very worried, but she dared not come closer. She held the baby and walked around in the corridor at a distance.
Fu Qiyuan was in so much pain that he almost fainted, but a sliver of clarity remained in his mind. A voice kept telling him that his mother, the woman he loved, and his son were all waiting for him outside, and that he had to find his lost self as soon as possible and reunite with them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
