Chapter 54: An Invitation from Mount Tai

  Xiao Fan's life returned to calmness, but he was completely unaware that his own life had already made a turn at the Ghost Gate within the imperial palace in the capital.

  Xiao Fan sat at the counter of Zui Xian Lou every day, then opened his empty eyes and began to imagine the future.

  What should one's own future be like?

  A wife and concubines are naturally unavoidable, a family fortune of tens of thousands is also indispensable, and a retinue of followers is a must...

  But how can we have such a wonderful life?

  Of course, he became an official. In ancient times, if you wanted to stand out, it was either becoming an official or rebelling and becoming the emperor. However, the technical requirements for rebelling were too high, and with Xiao Fan's abilities, it was not very feasible. Zhu Yuanzhang was still alive, and if he dared to rebel against the Zhu family, Old Zhu would probably swallow him whole without even needing to cook him.

  The question came back, how to be an official? To be honest, being an official is not difficult for Xiao Fan. Both Zhu Yunwen and the King of Yan have shown him a considerable degree of favoritism. As long as he nods his head, he can easily become an official. This is the advantage of living in ancient times. You don't necessarily need to have great abilities or be exceptionally talented. As long as you cling to the thigh of a big shot, you can rise to prominence.

  Xiao Fan was different from others. He accidentally hugged two thick and sexy legs.

  To others, this is an enviable encounter, but Xiao Fan, who knows the future, does not think so. He understands better than anyone that these two legs belong to different owners and will part ways in a few years, drifting further and further apart, eventually becoming sworn enemies.

  Standing in line is a matter of life and death, a noble person cannot have one foot on two boats, this is related to morality. Similarly, a person who values their life cannot hold onto two big legs at the same time, this is related to the brain, there must be a choice, can only resolutely hold onto one leg, then walk down one road until the end.

  The question is, who to give up and who to take?

  History is a ruthless coachman, he smiled and pulled the King of Yan onto the carriage, then brutally kicked Zhu Yunwen down. The one who laughed in the end was the usurping King of Yan.

  Follow him? Xiao Fan was somewhat displeased. It's said that the King of Yan, Xiong, had great talent and a broad vision, but his heart was cruel and unkind. Compared to his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, the two shared a common love for killing people. The son surpassed the father in cunning and ruthlessness. A good bird chooses its tree wisely; perhaps the King of Yan would be a wise ruler, but he might not live long enough to die of natural causes. If he accidentally said something wrong, he might end up getting himself killed.

  Then turn around and surrender to Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen?

  Xiao Fan's expression became increasingly bitter.

  That guy who only knows how to cry after being beaten, can he make a good emperor? Xiao Fan thought about it more and more, feeling that Zhu Yunwen was not reliable at all...

  Whatever

  Xiao Fan thought that since Zhu Yuanzhang was still alive, being a small boss of a wine shop wasn't so bad after all. During the Hongwu era, being an official was a high-risk occupation...

  If Chen Siliu didn't die and forced his daughter on himself, that would be even better...

  "Brother-in-law, the master asks you to return, there's something he wants to discuss with you." The soft and melodious voice of Bao Qin interrupted Xiao Fan's reverie about the future.

  Hu Qin wore a light green jacket, like a butterfly fluttering around, bringing warm sunshine all over her body, and flew into the counter outside the entrance of Zui Xian Lou.

  Her face was slightly red, as if she had been jumping all the way here, and she was still panting slightly. Her small chest heaved up and down, but her big eyes were fixed on Xiao Fan inside the counter, with a kind of spirit in them that could be seen but not grasped.

  The unpleasantness at the time of their acquaintance had long since dissipated, and Bao Qin didn't hold a grudge. When she spoke to Xiao Fan, her face even still wore a smile, revealing two intoxicating dimples on the corners of her mouth, and a youthful aura surrounded Xiao Fan's entranced eyes.

  Xiao Fan himself didn't notice that his eyes had turned into two bright red hearts beating rapidly.

  "Guiqin, what brings you here?"

  She put down her zither and smiled, her slender eyebrows slightly furrowed: "Brother-in-law, it was Master who asked for you, not me. Didn't you hear clearly just now?"

  Xiao Fan looked at Bao Qin's delicate and lovely face, and absent-mindedly said: "Oh, so it was the old master who wanted me. Does the old master have something to say to me? Is he going to marry me off?"

  "Ah?" Huqin was shocked and lost her composure. The bromance between the old master and Guniang was absolutely unacceptable in this 14 or 15-year-old girl's heart.

  "Ah... I mean, are you going to marry me?"

  "Holding her lute and looking at Xiao Fan with a sympathetic face: "It's all over, the young master's madness has relapsed again. I'll go back and report to the old master..."

  After finishing speaking, Baoqin turned around and ran away.

  The beauty of Yiren is gone, and Xiao Fan's madness has suddenly recovered.

  "Ah, Baoqin, come back! I'm not crazy, let's go see Master together..."

  …………

  …………

  He knew Cao County, he knew the Crown Prince, and his future was bright. He could have ignored Chen Si Liu completely, but Xiao Fan didn't want to show off with this background. In his opinion, it was someone else's halo, not his own. Using someone else's halo to make himself look good was a lowly pleasure.

  Xiao Fan wanted to be a noble person. Even if he couldn't be noble for the time being, at least he wanted to be someone who had transcended lowly tastes.

  Chen Si Liu used his summoning technique, Xiao Fan being a junior and also the son-in-law and part-time worker, of course had to go back.

  On the way back to the Chen mansion, Xiao Fang and Bao Qin walked side by side.

  The warm sunshine shone on the two people's backs, casting a long shadow on the ground in front of them. The atmosphere was serene and peaceful, filled with a subtle sense of happiness. Xiaofan felt very comfortable, as if he had been transported to a world beyond his own, reminiscent of his first love.

  "Brother-in-law, has your illness really been cured?" Baoqin asked cautiously, looking at Xiao Fan's smiling face.

  Xiao Fan's face turned a bit dark: "......Really good, one breath up to the fifth floor, effortless."

  She finally let out a sigh of relief, then giggled and started jumping up and down, playfully using her lotus foot to trample the shadow of Xiao Fan in front of her. When she stepped on it, she burst into a fit of silvery laughter, which echoed through the blue stone street in the afternoon, as if the entire world was shrouded in a layer of golden light.

  "Holding a zither, do you like watching goldfish?" Xiao Fan asked with full of expectation: "Brother, I'll take you to watch the goldfish, how about it? They're very pretty..."

  Hu Qin stopped her skipping steps and frowned at him: "I don't like goldfish..."

  "Why?"

  "That thing doesn't taste good..."

  Xiao Fan wiped his sweat: "......Then what do you like?"

  She gazed at Wang Ba with eyes shining with longing: "I like turtles..."

  Xiao Fan: "………"

  "Uncle, there are many turtles in the stone pond in the front yard of our mansion. Why don't you catch some and we can eat them together? Turtles are really delicious..."

  Xiao Fan was speechless...

  This is the retribution for being ignorant of Chen Ying's romantic feelings!

  "Hey, Guqin, in the future if Miss marries me, what about you? Are you going to follow Miss and marry me too?"

  Hu Qin's happy and joyful expression suddenly turned a bit shy, and she said awkwardly: "Miss said... if she marries you, I'll also kneel behind Miss and worship the ancestors with you..."

  Xiao Fan smiled and said: "Then what about you? Are you willing to marry me?"

  Boqin's small face scrunched up, her eyebrows furrowed in distress as she said: "I'm just a servant girl, whether I'm willing or not doesn't matter. Master and Miss want me to marry, so I'll have to marry..."

  Xiao Fan's heart ached, the fate of those below was miserable, not their own, like Bao Qin, a woman full of spirit and energy, yet unable to have a good life, ultimately still unable to control her own destiny.

  Xiao Fan secretly decided that even if he didn't marry Chen Ying'er, he would definitely redeem Bao Qin from the Chen family. By then, he would probably have become an official, and no matter whether it was with silver or official power, he would definitely make Chen Si Liu hand over Bao Qin.

  Xiao Fan's voice was steady and powerful as he gazed deeply at Bao Qin: "Bao Qin, trust me, I will definitely rescue you from the fire pit!"

  "Brother-in-law..." A faint glimmer of light flashed in Bao Qin's beautiful eyes.

  "Slap!" A ruthless palm print was slapped onto Xiao Fan's forehead.

  The familiar taste of being beaten made Xiao Fan grit his teeth and purse his lips.

  "Marrying you is like jumping into a fire pit!"

  With lute in hand, she dances and leaps away, disappearing into the distance.

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  I'm so ashamed, I only wrote half a chapter today, the plot was split up because I received my buddy's phone call, there's a dinner gathering tonight, no time to write anymore...