dmims Chapter 14: The Time of Parting
Chapter 14: The Time of Parting
"Father, how can you act in such a way when it comes to such an important matter? Right now, I only have a slight liking for Brother Ye."
Fan Ruoruo spoke her mind.
"Well, then do as you wish. Even if you two can't be together in the future, I will help you refuse this marriage."
Looking at his father's confident demeanor, Fan Xian really didn't want to discourage him.
He smiled wryly and said, "Father, it's not that easy. This matter was requested by the person in Dongyi City, who personally wrote to His Majesty."
Fan Xian took out the letter written by Si Gu Jian once again.
Who is the one among the Four Grandmasters you should never offend?
It wasn't their mysterious Grandmaster from Qing Kingdom, nor Ye Liuyun, nor even Ku He from Northern Qi, but Si Gu Jian.
Never try to guess what a madman is thinking, even if that madman is rational most of the time.
Judging from this incident, Ye Chengfeng held a very high position in Si Gu Jian's heart, all because of a joke Ye Chengfeng made.
The other party then directly sent Emperor Qing a personal letter.
"Master, why don't we invite that young swordsman here and ask him what he thinks?"
Liu Ruyu suggested a solution.
However, Fan Jian still had some concerns. If he personally invited Ye Chengfeng to the Fan residence, it would mean that he was expressing his attitude.
Liu Ruyu's method was clearly not going to work.
"Xian'er, how many times have you met Ye Chengfeng? What do you think of him?"
"His martial arts skills are superb. Although he is only an eighth-rank martial artist, he feels no less skilled than a ninth-rank martial artist. Moreover, I cannot see through his thoughts."
Fan Xian carefully recalled his interactions with Ye Chengfeng.
Especially that time when he schemed against Ye Chengfeng, Ye Chengfeng directly exposed him.
They even threatened him in return.
The only unexpected thing was that he actually developed feelings for Fan Ruoruo.
"Since that's the case, then so be it. During this mission to Northern Qi, spend as much time as you can with him and get to know his character."
"Father, even if you didn't say it, I would still do it."
"Also, don't force yourself to complete the tasks His Majesty has assigned you; prioritize your own safety."
Fan Jian reminded him again that Fan Xian would be departing tomorrow as an envoy to Northern Qi.
As one of the few people in the know, he naturally had to give his son a few more words of advice.
"Father, you must also be careful. I think the Crown Prince and the Second Prince are not easy to deal with, so we must be on guard."
"Don't worry, they wouldn't dare target their father."
As far as Fan Jian was concerned, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were ultimately juniors.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Emperor Qing tells all his ministers that he is the person he trusts most.
In fact, Emperor Qing only ever trusted one person: Fan Jian.
Emperor Qing would never abandon Fan Jian unless absolutely necessary.
"Alright, sir, and there's also Xian'er and Ruoruo. I don't think this is a bad thing at all."
Liu Ruyu was somewhat envious of Fan Xian and Fan Ruoruo. She wondered when her son, Fan Sizhe, would bring a daughter-in-law home for her.
She was content.
"Auntie is right. As long as Ruoruo is happy, that's a good thing."
"Brother, what did you say?!"
Fan Ruoruo blushed and complained.
To outsiders, Fan Ruoruo and Ye Chengfeng's relationship was practically a done deal.
The next morning, Ye Chengfeng's carriage was already waiting at the gates of Kyoto.
They were just waiting for Fan Xian to arrive before setting off.
Fan Xian needs to go to the Imperial Censorate prison to pick up Xiao En.
"Why are we so slow, Xiaolan? Are we too early?"
"Hmph, didn't you insist on arriving early, young master?"
"I think you just wanted to see Miss Ruoruo, but unfortunately she didn't come to see you off."
The little girl has a sharp tongue. She does admire Ye Chengfeng, but when it comes to criticizing him, she doesn't hold back at all.
"Just what kind of person is this girl? Eight years have passed, and her appearance hasn't changed much at all!"
At first, Ye Chengfeng also suspected that Xiaolan was a robot like Wuzhu.
But when Xiaolan was able to cultivate true qi, he rejected this idea.
Although Ye Chengfeng really wanted to know what kind of person Xiao Lan was, he would never do anything to hurt her.
Even if my curiosity is as intense as a cat scratching its paws!
"Hey, young master, snap out of it!"
Xiao Lan thought to herself, "When will the young master be able to get rid of this habit of easily getting distracted?"
"Xiaolan, what gift should I give Ruoruo when I see her later?"
"Hmph, I—don't—know!"
Like master, like maid. Xiao Lan and Ye Chengfeng are similar; they both like to overthink.
"Tch, if you don't know, you don't know. Why are you getting angry?"
As Ye Chengfeng rummaged through the items in his bundle, he realized he was penniless and had nothing worth giving away.
He gave Fan Ruoruo his favorite miniature wooden sword during his second visit to her.
"Here you go, man, without saying a word."
Xiao Lan reluctantly handed Ye Chengfeng an exquisite hairpin.
He thought to himself, "He wants to pursue that girl? Without my advice, what can this young master possibly accomplish?"
"Hmph, nothing at all!"
Ye Chengfeng awkwardly touched his nose.
"Our Xiaolan is so thoughtful."
Fan Ruoruo went out of the city with Fan Xian. Apart from Fan Ruoruo, the entire Fan family was present.
Upon seeing them, Ye Chengfeng naturally needed to pay his respects to his "future father-in-law".
"Your nephew Chengfeng greets your uncle."
This was the first time Fan Jian had ever met Ye Chengfeng.
Ye Chengfeng's appearance was indeed remarkable, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and the black brocade robe accentuated his mysterious aura.
However, fathers-in-law always find their sons-in-law increasingly unpleasant to look at.
"Hmph, so you're Ye Chengfeng?"
Fan Jian looked Ye Chengfeng up and down.
Seeing her father's long face, Fan Ruoruo quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Father, didn't you have something to tell my brother?"
"You, you really are something else once your daughter grows up."
Teasing from her own father, she panicked and pulled Ye Chengfeng aside.
"What's wrong with your father, Ruoruo?"
"Hmph, isn't it all because of you, Brother Ye? How would a Grandmaster know?"
Fan Ruoruo said reproachfully.
"How would I know? That old man is always talking nonsense, who knows what he's thinking."
"Oh, right, Ruoruo, this is for you."
"A hairpin?"
Fan Ruoruo looked at the hairpin in Ye Chengfeng's hand and found it increasingly familiar.
"Isn't this Sister Xiaolan's hairpin?"
"Yeah?"
Ye Chengfeng had a bad feeling. He thought to himself, "Why have I never seen her take care of this before? She's really got me into trouble."
Fan Ruoruo was never the type to steal someone else's love; she thought Ye Chengfeng was "stolen" from Xiao Lan.
"Brother Ye, I can't accept this."
"Please accept this. It's a family heirloom from the young master, meant for the future young mistress."
Xiao Lan hummed and hawed.
What could she do? If her young master liked it, she could only support him!
Upon hearing that it was a family heirloom, Fan Ruoruo was even more determined not to accept it.
"Take it. If you feel we're not a good match someday, we can always switch back."
Ye Chengfeng handed the hairpin directly to Fan Ruoruo.
He was simply curious about his background, or rather, the identity assigned to him by the system.
Ye Chengfeng never investigated it.
"Looks like I'll have to ask Xiaolan about this later. She's never mentioned these things in all these years."
"Alright, then I'll keep it for Brother Ye for the time being."
Seeing that neither of them seemed to find anything wrong with their conversation, only Xiaolan pouted.
"Our young master is simply not suited to pursuing girls. What kind of person would say something like that?"
"And Miss Ruoruo, she actually thinks there's nothing wrong with that statement? That's outrageous!"