"Suzhou?" Fan Xian chuckled and said to his grandmother, "What girl are you talking about? If it's about girls, I built a Baoyue Tower in Suzhou, and there are quite a few of them."

The old lady shook her head helplessly, "That's another matter. He won't do his proper job as an official, but insists on engaging in these frivolous businesses. Doesn't he fear losing face?"

Fan Xian didn't feel ashamed at all, and said with a smile, "That's the Second Prince's business. I'm just looking after it for him." After saying this, he glanced at the Third Prince sitting beside the old lady. The Third Prince's little face immediately flushed with embarrassment. The initial Baoyue Tower was also inseparable from this kid.

The old lady sighed, "Don't keep interrupting. You know who I'm asking about."

Fan Xian fell silent. Of course, he knew that his grandmother wanted to ask about Haitang. The story of himself and Haitang was known throughout the world. His grandmother wasn't a pure old lady who knew nothing about the outside world, so of course, she knew the story. But... there was something wrong with this matter in the first place, and in front of Wan'er, he really didn't know what to say. He raised his head and smiled gently, "Grandma, don't listen to those rumors outside. Miss Haitang is in Jiangnan, just helping me with some affairs."

The old lady naturally didn't believe it and said suspiciously, "A Northern Qi person, what is she doing staying by your side all the time? She's not an ordinary woman."

Fan Xian was speechless. He secretly glanced at Wan'er and found that his wife's face was calm, but her little hand was clenching the corner of her sleeve. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and said to his grandmother, "You mustn't misunderstand."

"Is it a misunderstanding?" The old lady looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. After all, there were still some people in the hall, and the old woman didn't want to explain it directly. She just said slowly, "Some things, if you can do them openly, then do them openly... I hate being secretive the most. If it's aboveboard, then bring her back for us to see. If you don't have that intention, then pay attention to your behavior. After all, although she's not one of our Qing people, she's still a young lady. How can you ruin her reputation so carelessly?"

Fan Xian smiled bitterly.

"Did you hear me?" The old lady stared at him and said.

Fan Xian sighed and nodded, thinking... this matter wasn't just a simple yes or no. His shamelessness was indeed seen through by his grandmother at a glance. As for Haitang... Lang Tao had already gone to Suzhou. Given Haitang's personality, she probably wouldn't go against her master's sect. Once she returned to Northern Qi, it would be difficult to see her again, and the aftermath didn't need to be elaborated on.

"I say, Grandma," he said with a bitter face, "I haven't been back for two years. Why are you scolding me as soon as we meet? Can't you wait for a while to say it?"

The old lady snorted coldly and said, "You still know you haven't been back for two years?" She glared at Fan Xian, and the wrinkles on her face gradually relaxed, and she scolded with a smile, "You arrived in Danzhou, but you weren't in a hurry to come home. Where did you go running wild before? You're so old, how can you still not understand anything?"

Fan Xian understood that his grandmother was jealous. He smiled playfully, "I got off the boat halfway to take a stroll."

Before his grandmother could speak, he quickly gave her a look. These two had lived together for sixteen years, so how could they not know each other's hidden thoughts? The old lady coughed lightly twice and said, "It's getting late. Let's prepare to start the banquet. I have some things to say to Anzhi."

After saying this, she stood up tremblingly, fully prepared to salute the Third Prince. The old lady was originally the wet nurse of the royal family and could be considered a servant. She paid special attention to the distinction between superiors and inferiors. Lin Wan'er was now Fan Xian's wife, so she, as the grandmother, naturally didn't need to care, but since the Third Prince lived at home, she had always been very respectful.

However, her status was too unique. The Third Prince had always called himself Fan Xian's student, so how could he dare to accept the salute from this old ancestor? The child struggled, his face flushed red, and he desperately avoided it, running out the door as if his butt was on fire.

Fan Xian stepped forward and gently took Wan'er's hand, whispering something in her ear. Wan'er nodded repeatedly and, as instructed, took Si Si out.

Now, only the old lady and Fan Xian, grandmother and grandson, were left in the hall. Fan Xian moved a small stool and sat beside his grandmother, just like in the past, listening to her lectures obediently.

Now that there were no outsiders, the old lady's words were much more direct.

"That Miss Haitang, how do you plan to deal with her?"

Fan Xian tilted his head and thought for a while, frowning and said seriously, "It's a bit difficult to marry her into the family. Let's drag it out for a while."

"Do you want to marry her?"

"Hmm..." Fan Xian hesitated. He always felt that his relationship with Haitang was more of a friendship. If he married her into the family, he was afraid that the feeling would change. "It depends on her. If she wants to marry, then I want to marry."

"It's still the same old saying, our Fan family is a big and wealthy family after all. How can we let her wander outside alone?" The old lady coughed lightly twice. "Since you like her, she has to enter the family eventually."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly, thinking that this matter couldn't be decided unilaterally by his old Fan family. However, since his grandmother had set the policy, he had no choice but to try his best to carry it out. He gently patted his grandmother's back with his palm, quietly transmitting a trace of the Heavenly Way's gentle zhenqi into her body to help the old woman regulate her body. He was somewhat delighted to find that his grandmother's body was in good shape. Although she had become increasingly old in the past two years, she hadn't shown any signs of decay.

"However... even if she enters the family, there must be a proper order of seniority." The old lady suddenly said seriously, "You can't be unfair to Wan'er. Originally, according to my opinion, I didn't like that girl Haitang. Being with you without a proper status, what's that supposed to be like?"

Fan Xian was speechless. In fact, he also knew that he had been busy with official duties recently and had indeed neglected his wife a bit. Moreover, Wan'er was a girl who was calm on the surface but extremely delicate in her heart. To put it in a more cliché way, the higher Fan Xian's status, the more he didn't want Wan'er to be involved in those conspiracies, and Wan'er would inevitably lack a real sense of existence. This feeling probably wasn't very comfortable.

However, it could be seen that Wan'er was very much liked by the old ancestor during these days in Danzhou.

"Let's not mention this matter." The old lady looked at her grandson at her knees and sighed, gently stroking his cheek, "It shouldn't have been easy for you in Kyoto these years... You know about those things, right?"

In fact, during the sixteen years in Danzhou, there weren't too many intimate gestures between Fan Xian and his grandmother. Fan Xian knew that it was because his grandmother wanted to cultivate him into a person with a cold and hard heart, so that he could protect his life in Kyoto in the future. When was the last time his grandmother was so gentle... It seemed that it was still when he was an infant, and his grandmother was holding him in the small building, crying silently.

Fan Xian was a little distracted. It was also because of that night that he knew that besides Uncle Wu Zhu, there was also his grandmother who was wholeheartedly good to him.

"I know everything." Fan Xian lowered his head and sighed with a smile after a long while, "The issue of one's background is always so unimaginable."

The old lady said with a smile, "It's all in the past. I think His Majesty still loves you."

Fan Xian remained silent, not answering this sentence. His grandmother raised the Qing Emperor, so she must be proud of this fact in her heart. However, it was obvious that his grandmother's sentence wasn't very clear, at least it didn't explain that sentence that his grandmother said on that night eighteen years ago.

He slowly raised his head and looked at his grandmother's wrinkled face, and asked softly, "Grandma, how did my mom... die?"

The old lady paused, seemingly not expecting him to ask this question. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly said, "Hasn't your father told you?"

Fan Xian smiled weakly, "Father did say, but I always feel that things shouldn't be that simple."

"Your mother was a very remarkable person." The old lady lovingly patted his cheek and said, "I believe His Majesty has already avenged her. As for whether there are any enemies left out, naturally... those few kids will take care of it."

Those few kids were naturally the few people who used to fight every day in Prince Cheng's mansion.

Fan Xian smiled. It seemed that his grandmother didn't know the details very well, or perhaps... she wasn't willing to tell him her guesses. Come to think of it, as anyone would see it, he had already received enough compensation from the royal family, so why should he still be obsessed with the story of that year... Are there any tails left?

...

...

"Si Zhe... what kind of child is he?" The old grandmother suddenly asked.

Fan Xian was stunned, then smiled. Only then did he realize that ever since the Second Prince was born, he had been living in Kyoto, and had never even seen his grandmother. He carefully chose his words and slowly said, "Si Zhe... may have been a bit reckless in the past, but now that he's getting older, he'll be more measured in his actions."

"Oh, tell me about it." It was obvious that the old lady was quite interested in her only biological grandson.

Fan Xian smiled and recounted all his interactions with Si Zhe after entering Kyoto, even without hiding the affairs of the Baoyue Tower. The old lady's expression was serious, but occasionally a smile would appear.

"You mean... these two children are running a brothel in Kyoto?" The old lady sighed, thinking that she was really old and couldn't understand the minds of these children now. "But... the Third Prince is so young."

"He's small but clever." Thinking of that matter, Fan Xian was filled with anger, and he snorted coldly, "San'er is not just a child."

The old lady laughed, "Is Si Zhe doing well alone in the north?"

There were often letters coming from Northern Qi, so Fan Xian knew very well about his second brother's life in the north. He comforted, "Don't worry, I've arranged for people to take care of him there."

After thinking for a while, the old lady said worriedly, "After all, he's in a foreign country. If that Miss Haitang is still in Shangjing of Northern Qi, it might be fine, but right now... there's no one you can trust within Northern Qi."

Fan Xian naturally couldn't reveal his secret agreement with the young emperor of Northern Qi. After thinking for a while, he said, "Don't worry, Grandma. Isn't Ruo Ruo also in Shangjing now? She's now a closed disciple of Grandmaster Ku He. The Northern Qi court will have to give her some face. With her watching, Si Zhe wouldn't dare to do anything."

It was really strange. In the past two years, Fan Xian had tried every means to send his younger sister and brother to Northern Qi. Fan Shangshu vaguely guessed a bit of his intention and didn't expose it, but the old lady obviously couldn't think of that. She just said with a smile, "Speaking of that child Ruo Ruo, I don't know if her health is any better."

"Very good... she doesn't even have any yellow hair on her head." Fan Xian suddenly turned his eyes and said, "Grandma, why don't you come back to Kyoto with me this time... Father misses you very much."

The old lady was silent for a long time, then slowly shook her head.

Fan Xian sighed, not understanding why his grandmother always wanted to live in Danzhou.

"Ruo Ruo is seventeen or eighteen years old." The old lady said worriedly, "She hasn't been promised to a husband yet. You broke off her engagement with Hong Cheng... then you have to pay attention and see if there are any families with good character, good family background, and trustworthy lineage."

Fan Xian patted his chest loudly and said, "Grandma, leave this matter to me. I'll definitely handle it properly." He said it sincerely, but he didn't think so in his heart. He thought that Ruo Ruo was still so young, what was the rush to marry? It was more important to see more and walk around more. He thought this way, but he completely forgot that when he and Wan'er got married, the two of them were actually not much older than little kids.

"Yes, you, as an older brother, are doing very well." The old lady looked at Fan Xian gently and said appreciatively, "You're managing them very well. Our old Fan family is blessed. If your younger siblings can become successful in the future, it will all be thanks to you."

Fan Xian's face turned red, thinking that Ruo Ruo was such an intelligent girl, she didn't need him to manage her at all. Si Zhe's character was forcibly twisted by him, but it was initially based on his own interests. As for his ability... even the several Ye shopkeepers of Qing Yu Tang admitted that Si Zhe was a genius in business.

The conversation between the grandmother and grandson, avoiding other people, came to an end. Only then did the old lady hesitantly ask, "What about that one? Did he come back with you this time?"

The old woman was asking about that blind boss who had been her neighbor for sixteen years. Fan Xian was stunned, then understood and said with a bitter face, "I was just about to ask Grandma if you've seen him come back recently."

The old lady's expression became serious. "So he's not by your side... then don't run around recklessly, like this afternoon. You absolutely can't do that, or if something happens, how will I explain it to His Majesty and your father?"

Fan Xian mysteriously leaned close to his grandmother's ear and said, "Don't worry, Grandma, your grandson is now a master of masters."

The old lady chuckled silently, covering her mouth, revealing a hint of charm from many years ago.

Just as they were talking, someone came to report that the banquet was ready to begin. The grandmother and grandson looked at each other tacitly, and Fan Xian supported the old woman's arm and walked out.

The person who came to speak was the wife of Teng Da's family, leading the way with her head lowered.

Fan Xian looked at her back and suddenly said, "Did Wan'er take her medicine?"

The wife of Teng Da's family slightly tilted her body and whispered in reply, "The young mistress has been taking her medicine on time and in the right amount."

"Where's Da Bao? Why didn't I see him today?" Fan Xian was puzzled. He didn't see Da Bao come to greet him today.

"My husband also came. He didn't know that Young Master would arrive early today, so he's accompanying Young Master Lin on a fishing trip at sea." The wife of Teng Da's family said with a smile.

Fan Xian was delighted and said, "Teng Da is also here. Have him come to see me later."

"Yes."

Just then, the old lady, supported by Fan Xian, suddenly said, "Wan'er has been taking medicine recently. I was curious about what kind of medicine it was. It smells quite fragrant."

Fan Xian was stunned, thinking about whether to explain this matter clearly to his grandmother. After thinking for a while, he finally smiled gently, lowered his voice to the lowest, and explained Wan'er's health and the matter of the child.

The old lady fell silent, her expression not looking very good. After a long time, she coughed lightly twice and said, "The health of the adults is the most important thing. You're still young, so there's no rush."

Fan Xian said with a calm smile, "That's why I like Grandma the most."

———————————————————————

After the banquet, he spoke with Teng Da for a while, asking about the recent situation in Kyoto and the health of his father and Liu Shi. At the same time, he inquired about some Kyoto street news that the Supervisory Council couldn't easily access. Fan Xian felt a hint of tiredness in advance, dismissed everyone, paid his respects to his grandmother, and then took Wan'er back to the bedroom.

This bedroom still retained its appearance from a few years ago, and the furnishings hadn't changed.

Fan Xian lay on the bed, squinting his eyes and watching Wan'er sitting at the table, playing with the wick of the lamp. He heard Si Si preparing hot water outside in the adjoining room. He suddenly said, "Little Treasure, come here."

Wan'er turned her head and smiled playfully, but a hint of shyness flashed across her face. She glanced outside and scolded in a charming tone, "Don't you know how to lower your voice?"

The joy of the boudoir wasn't entirely in matters of the flesh, but often in small details. The so-called Little Treasure was a small code, a small detail, a small trick between Fan Xian and Wan'er... Wan'er was Da Bao's younger sister, so naturally she was Little Treasure, Little Treasure was also.

After washing up, Si Si smiled and went out, sleeping on the small bed in the adjoining room, just like she used to in Danzhou.

With the red candle extinguished, Fan Xian and his wife lay side by side on the bed. Wan'er snuggled in Fan Xian's arms like a kitten, holding the lapel of the man's single garment tightly with both hands, holding it a little hard, as if afraid that someone would run away.

"I've been lying on this bed for sixteen years." Fan Xian opened his bright eyes in the darkness. "Since I was a child, I've always liked sleeping. During my naps, I never needed the maids to coax me, and I would just fall asleep like this."

Wan'er hmm-ed and looked at him.

Fan Xian lowered his head and gently kissed her fleshy lips, saying vaguely, "But I always feel like I haven't woken up yet. How did I marry such a well-behaved and good wife? Am I dreaming?"

Lin Wan'er closed her teeth and bit him hard, staring at him fiercely and saying, "Just say what you want to say."

...

...

(This is so damn hard to write, I'm about to give up.)