The Fan residence was located in the eastern part of Kyoto, a distance away from Tianhe Road, and out of sight of the imperial palace. Only dignitaries and nobles lived here, leaving no room for commoners, which made it relatively quiet. On the deserted street, a mansion gate stood every few dozen feet, each guarded by a pair of stone lions, which stared blankly with their eyes, watching the carriages passing by on the street.

A black carriage slowly passed along the street, unnoticed by curious onlookers. Reaching the side of the Fan residence, the carriage turned with some difficulty into a side lane, stopping under the shade of some trees at the side gate.

Fan Xian lifted the curtain and, supported by Teng Zijing, stepped out of the carriage. His face was expressionless as he surveyed the surroundings, nodding almost imperceptibly.

With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open, and the servants inside came out to greet them, glancing curiously at Fan Xian, murmuring as if unsure how to address him or what etiquette to observe.

Fan Xian smiled without saying anything, following Teng Zijing through the gate. The servants breathed a sigh of relief and began to unload the luggage piled high on the carriage.

A young servant was waiting just inside the gate, his body slightly bent, leading the two of them in. As they walked, the courtyard deepened, revealing artificial hills, flat grass, blossoming branches, and shallow water. The scenery was quite refined. Along the way, they encountered some old women, who, upon seeing someone approaching, fell silent and stood quietly by the roadside, showing no signs of disorder.

The deeper they went, the further they were from reaching the inner courtyard. Fan Xian couldn't help but admire the extravagance of the old Kyoto mansion, which was dozens of times larger than the villa in Danzhou Port. To own such a large residence in Kyoto, where land was as valuable as gold, it seemed that his father's power was indeed extraordinary.

If it were an ordinary person entering such a grand mansion for the first time, they would feel nervous and constrained. Even Lin Daiyu in *Dream of the Red Chamber* was afraid to say too much when she first entered the Rongguo Mansion, fearing to make a mistake and lose face for herself and the family.

But Fan Xian was no ordinary person. Having lived two lives and experienced the cycle of life and death, he had developed a sense of ease and detachment. Moreover, he was accustomed to being an illegitimate child. With the mentality of his previous life, he didn't find the status shameful at all, but rather felt that his father should be the one ashamed. Extending from this, he wouldn't care about the face of the Fan residence.

So he walked along, observing everything with a smile, completely without any restraint. Although there was still some shyness in his smile, it was just a cover. He looked at the scenery of the mansion, marveling at it. He stroked a weeping willow as he passed it, and gazed at the golden scales in the water as he crossed the arched bridge over the shallow lake, appearing utterly casual.

His demeanor was completely observed by the servants of the mansion, who couldn't help but be curious. This "young master" that they had heard about for more than a decade was actually such a person. They couldn't say whether he was good or bad, but they felt that the young man had a certain flavor, which they couldn't express in words.

Before reaching the inner courtyard, Teng Zijing whispered, "Young Master, I can't go in here. Please go in by yourself..." After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but add, "Young Master, when you speak..." As they walked, Teng Zijing vaguely admired Fan Xian's composure, and thinking of the hidden struggles within the Fan residence in Kyoto, he couldn't help but want to remind him of something. But as the words left his mouth, he realized that he was being presumptuous and didn't know how to phrase it.

Fan Xian knew what he was thinking, was slightly touched, and smiled as he cupped his fist in thanks, "Teng Da, rest assured." Then he instructed him to remember to take care of his luggage, as he might need it at night, and how to arrange it.

At this moment, he could still calmly think about the evening arrangements. Teng Zijing knew that the beautiful young man before him was far more mature than others of his age. Hearing these words, he felt a little more at ease, smiled, and went with the young servant to rest in the side courtyard.

The servant leading the way was replaced by a maid, a rather pretty young girl. Fan Xian followed her into the backyard.

A middle-aged woman came over with a brass basin, gave a half-squatting bow, and then helped him wash his face. The temperature of the water was neither too hot nor too cold, just right.

Fan Xian was silent, wiped his hands, handed the towel back, and said, "Thank you."

The middle-aged woman was surprised to hear these words and retreated in a slight panic.

Fan Xian smiled, realizing that Kyoto was not Danzhou. His politeness to the maids seemed redundant and inappropriate here.

Even after entering the inner courtyard, they didn't stand in the central hall but were led by the maid to stand by the side door. The wall on that side was painted all white, and above the doorway was a slightly protruding black eave.

They stood there for a long time, but no one came to acknowledge them, making Fan Xian wonder if this was the old mansion's way of giving this illegitimate child a cold shoulder. A hint of irritation gradually arose in his heart, but he took a deep breath and suppressed it, looking up at the black eave. Looking closely, he found that the ancient-style architecture was indeed elegant.

Actually, Fan Xian had misunderstood them. The maids and old women stood aside not deliberately ignoring him, but because they knew the young master's identity and didn't dare to step forward. First, they didn't know how to address him, since he wasn't born to the Fan residence's official wife; second, the master of the house hadn't arrived, so the servants didn't dare to act rashly. But at this moment, someone had already gone to inform the master.

Fan Xian waited for a while, smiled self-deprecatingly, and beckoned the little girl who had led him in.

The little maid had delicate features and incredibly smooth cheeks, and she was very young. She asked in a soft voice, "Young... Young... What are your orders?" She originally wanted to call him Young Master, but thinking of the issue, she couldn't say it, swallowing the word "master" and turning red in the face.

Fan Xian laughed at the little maid's appearance and said, "Bring me a chair."

The little maid obeyed, bringing a wooden chair from the hall. The chair was a bit heavy, and she was slightly out of breath from carrying it.

Fan Xian stepped forward to take it, placed the chair on the ground, smiled slightly, and sat down on it in a carefree manner, no longer paying attention to the gazes around him as he looked up at the eave above.

The maids and old women were quite surprised to see the young man sitting in the chair like that—the younger generation should stand respectfully before the steps until their elders arrive, how could he be so presumptuous?

…

…

A faint sound of footsteps came from the corridor, and a subtle fragrance wafted with the wind, refreshing the spirit. Fan Xian turned his head and saw a noble lady walking over with a smile on her face. The lady had a beautiful face and eyes as black as lacquer. Her skirt swayed slightly, and the golden ornaments tinkled softly, but coupled with the lady's understated nobility, it didn't seem flashy at all, but rather seemed just right.

Fan Xian took a deep breath and stood up from the chair.

The lady's eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her smile brightened the whole courtyard. Looking at Fan Xian from afar, she said, "Xian'er, you must be tired from your journey. Please, sit down."

Fan Xian said sweetly with a smile, "Greetings, Aunt."