"We common folk, are truly happy today! Really, really, damn happy!" Fan Xian was drinking soy milk and chewing on fried dough sticks in the flower hall, feeling extremely comfortable.

He admitted that he was lucky. He was clearly a dead man, yet he was reborn into this world to live another life. He was pitiful at birth, his mother died and his father didn't want him – but later he learned that the enemies who killed his mother had been eliminated, and he, as a son, had nowhere to seek revenge. Although his father had some issues, he at least didn't show any attitude that he couldn't tolerate. Besides, he was clearly preparing to copy books diligently to earn some hard-earned money and live a good life in this world – but he didn't expect that a large pile of glittering gold was already waiting for him to disdainfully ignore.

Most importantly, he would have had to go against his own will to earn this quick money, accepting the arrangements of those important figures and marrying a woman he had never met – but hey, this woman turned out to be the one he liked!

There are people who are lucky, and there are people who are often lucky, but Fan Xian couldn't believe that someone could be as lucky as himself. Noticing his good mood, Madam Liu didn't react, but Fan Siz辙 became interested. After his mother left, he lowered his voice and asked, "Big brother, so happy? The shop location has been chosen, when are you going to take a look?"

"Didn't you hire a shopkeeper?" Fan Xian was in a good mood, his face full of smiles, generously delegating authority: "I've already said that you should handle this matter yourself first, and come to me if there's anything inappropriate. If you feel you're too young to hold the fort, just grab two scholars from the manor."

Fan Siz轍 exclaimed, "How can you not take a look, since you are the major shareholder, the book is yours, and you paid half the money."

Hearing the words "major shareholder," Fan Xian chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll go take a look in a few days. But didn't father beat you with a board a few days ago, forbidding you from missing classes?"

"You can pick me up, and take you around the capital again."

"No thanks, going out with you will only offend people. I don't want to be in court every day." Fan Xian finished the soy milk in his bowl in one gulp, smacked his lips at the dregs in his mouth, and was a little dissatisfied: "If the bookstore business does well, there will be many more businesses waiting for you to do when you grow up."

Fan Siz轍 didn't understand what he meant, scratched his head, and left. Fan Ruoruo listened quietly on the side, and only then smiled and said, "Decided to accept this marriage?"

"The parents' orders are unavoidable." Fan Xian sighed, but he still didn't have any talent for comedy. He shook his head and laughed, "I definitely want the marriage, but the things that come with the marriage are a bit of a hassle. I'm going to offend so many people for no reason, and I'm not sure if I can really control those things. It doesn't seem worth it after all."

Fan Ruoruo knew that her brother was talking about the royal merchants, and she was also worried for him. After all, the Eldest Princess had been in charge for so many years, and no one knew how much benefit the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince's faction had gained from it. If this business was really to be handed over to Fan Xian in the future, taking over and checking the accounts would be a must. Perhaps many people would get into trouble, from the Internal Treasury to the royal merchants.

She frowned and said, "What if you don't check the accounts?"

"It's okay not to check the accounts, but all the old accounts must be sealed up, otherwise we'll be in trouble if the old dirt gets thrown on us. And the key is that some people will definitely be angry after this path to wealth is cut off."

"Otherwise… just marry the Lin family girl, and don't take the merchants. After all, it was the result of discussions between Father and His Majesty. If Father relents a little at this time, His Majesty shouldn't be too angry."

Fan Xian shook his head. Thinking of his father's expression that night, he knew that his father had a very fanatical obsession with taking back his mother's estate. Although he didn't know where this obsession came from, it would be very difficult to ask his father to give up such an opportunity.

Moreover, he himself didn't want to give up. After all, that was his mother, the things that woman left behind, things that belonged to him. Why should the royal family enjoy the benefits? Although according to the palace's statements, he would have to wait a few years after marrying Lin Wan'er before he could manage it himself, being closer to the meat would always be better for the nose. So Fan Xian was now treating the bookstore business as a serious matter, on the one hand because he was skilled at it, and on the other hand because he wanted to show some people that he had a business acumen.

"Could… someone use some extraordinary methods?" Fan Ruoruo asked worriedly.

Fan Xian thought for a while and replied, "Although I haven't met the Eldest Princess, nor have I met any important figures in the palace, I think that since she has been able to manage the Internal Treasury for more than ten years, this Eldest Princess must be a smart person, no matter what kind of person she is. In the current situation, if I were really killed, no matter if she did it or not, many people's eyes would definitely be on her. The old emperor may not care about my life or death, but he will definitely not tolerate anyone secretly undermining his will. As an emperor, what he values most is his own prestige. It just so happens that I'm stuck in a lawsuit and can't leave the capital. If someone attacks me in the capital…"

He shook his head: "That would be too stupid."

Fan Ruoruo looked at him admiringly: "Brother's analysis is reasonable."

"Don't look at me like that." Fan Xian looked at her helplessly, "You girl are trusting me more and more now. I'm not a god, just an ordinary person. There will definitely be many things that are beyond our expectations."

Fan Ruoruo was a little worried when she heard this, but Fan Xian was fine after all, because Uncle Wu Zhu was always hidden in the darkness. If someone wanted to move against him, unless Ye Liuyun, who was currently traveling, suddenly returned to the capital.

At noon, escorted by Teng Zijing and a large group of guards, Fan Xian ran to the Fan family's private school to see Fan Siz轍. This was fine if he didn't look, but he almost fainted when he did. Looking at the classroom, the children of the Fan clan were all laughing and playing, completely ignoring the old teacher in front. Some of the bolder guys even dipped their writing brushes in ink and splashed it forward, not only staining the walls, but even getting some on the corner of the old teacher's clothes.

The old teacher's face was ashen with anger, but he didn't know how to get angry. These naughty children all came from families with considerable backgrounds. Although their parents repeatedly told them to respect their teachers, as soon as they arrived at the private school, these teenagers changed their appearance. What's more, the abominable ones relied on the strength of their family's servants, so they not only fooled around in the private school, but also often committed some unseemly acts on the streets.

Fan Xian stuck his head into the door and carefully glanced around, and found that Fan Siz轍 was relatively well-behaved, sitting at a desk in the corner writing something. The servant sent by his family was squatting next to him serving him tea. It seemed that he was not listening carefully to the teacher, but fortunately he was not doing anything out of line. He was actually overestimating his younger brother. If it weren't for the fact that recently there was a more fun thing that had tied down Fan Siz轍's mind, he would probably be even more presumptuous than those degenerate children in the room.

Calling Fan Siz辙 out of the room, Fan Xian asked with a stern face, "Is this where you study?"

Fan Siz轍 didn't know why he was unhappy, and replied angrily, "Yes, what's wrong?"

"You should be considered a leader, right?" Fan Xian was very confident in his leadership ability. In addition, the Sinan Duke's family was currently the most prosperous in the entire Fan clan, so Fan Siz轍 should have a very special status among these children.

Fan Siz辙 scratched his head: "They still listen to what I say."

"That's good." Fan Xian continued: "Go in and teach those little bastards a lesson, so that they can listen to the teacher's lectures properly."

"Ah?" Fan Siz辙 didn't seem to have recovered.

"Disrespecting teachers and elders?" Fan Xian's eyebrows were furrowed, thinking that when he was in Danzhou, whether it was the original private tutor or the later teacher Fei Jie, he was extremely respectful. Hearing the voices inside getting louder and louder, he scolded in anger: "If you dare to be like them, see if I don't slap you!"

Fan Siz辙 didn't know why Fan Xian, who had been very gentle recently, would suddenly provoke him, and roared with wide eyes: "Why would you slap me?"

The servants and a few menservants around him all gathered around. They were already somewhat familiar with this young master Fan, but when they heard that he was going to hit their young master, they were anxious to protect their master and glared fiercely at Fan Xian. The servant, relying on his familiarity with young master Siz辙, even cursed with a foul mouth.

Fan Xian frowned.

Teng Zijing and a few guards stepped forward and mercilessly grabbed the servants of the Fan family and gave them a good beating. The servant who cursed was slapped countless times. These people who followed Fan Xian were originally the subordinates of Duke Sinan Fan Jian, so how could they put these servants and menservants in the mansion, who were several levels lower than them, in their eyes? Now, following Fan Xian, they had even beaten the son of the current Minister of Rites and nothing had happened. They wished they could bring wind with them on both sides of the road, so how could they hesitate to strike?

The education ended there. The servants looked at Fan Xian with fear and pain on their faces, and retreated timidly. The servant's cheeks were flushed and he kept crying.

Fan Xian looked down at Fan Siz辙's frightened face and said softly: "I didn't say I would slap you, but if you do something wrong, I will naturally slap you. As for why? It's very simple, you can't beat me, you can't scold me, and you don't dare to complain to father. If you do something wrong and still want to challenge me, wouldn't you be looking for a beating?"

Seeing that he didn't seem to mean to hit him, Fan Siz辙 breathed a sigh of relief. He was still a noble son who didn't care about his servants in his bones. He didn't take Fan Xian's beating of his subordinates too seriously. Although he felt that he had lost some face, there always seemed to be some benefits to being with him. He calculated with the nature of a businessman and found that it was better not to offend Fan Xian.

"Go in and tidy up the order inside. I'll wait for you outside. Didn't you say you wanted to go see the shop?" After Fan Xian finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left the entrance of the private school.

The people of the Fan clan who were waiting outside saw the previous scene and couldn't help but click their tongues in wonder, thinking that this illegitimate son of the Duke of Sinan was so powerful that he dared to bully the legitimate son of the Duke of Sinan's mansion so much in broad daylight. Everyone looked at him with some fear.

Fan Xian ignored these people and waited leisurely on the bench outside the door. After a while, he heard several screams from the private school, as well as loud slaps. Interspersed in it was Fan Siz辙's arrogant voice: "Be honest with me! If you dare to be disrespectful to the teacher again, see if I don't slap you!" These words were almost the same as what Fan Xian said, it seemed that young master Fan was venting all the anger he had received from his brother on his clan brothers.

This was quite a stir. Those Fan clan coachmen, servants, and menservants who had been guarding outside the private school heard their masters' painful cries in the classroom, glared at Fan Xian fiercely, and rushed in. Fan Xian was afraid that Fan Siz辙 would suffer a loss, so he winked at Teng Zijing, and Teng Zijing led a few guards and followed the crowd in. After a while, they dragged Fan Siz辙 out.

Fan Siz辙 hadn't had enough of beating people. He was waving his fists and scolding: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, these guys don't dare to offend our family." Indeed, it was as he said, those servants rushed in and only dared to protect their masters, but they didn't dare to fight back. It seemed that the Sinan Duke's mansion had a very special status in the Fan clan.

After beating people, Fan Xian grabbed his younger brother by the neck and lifted him into the carriage, leaving the chaotic situation that he had created single-handedly. Teng Zijing frowned and said to the side: "Young master, although these people in the clan are getting more and more out of line, they are, after all, some old people in the capital. Some checkpoints still need their help. Offending too many people may not be good."

Fan Xian said with a wry smile: "What are you afraid of?" He thought in his heart, maybe these clansmen do have power, but I'm about to marry the princess, and the emperor will be my brother-in-law. What am I afraid of? I really can't get rid of this anger if I don't teach these little bastards a lesson.

"Was it fun?" he asked Fan Siz辙.

Fan Siz辙 was a little puzzled: "That's right, I usually beat people often, but none of them are as fun as today. Why is that?" The resentment that had arisen from being taught by his brother earlier had already dissipated without a trace in the process of his heroic beating.

"It's very simple. You have to find a reason to slap people, just like fighting a war. If there is an incomparably righteous reason, then you can beat people without any psychological baggage. Even when this dynasty attacked Northern Wei back then, didn't they first say that they violated the border?" Fan Xian continued: "Everything is the same, we have to occupy the moral high ground, morality, understand?"

"Don't understand," Fan Siz辙 replied very sincerely.