Chapter Three: Brothers

  If it were the previous self, I'm afraid I would have foolishly followed Lian Xin and rushed over, only to fall into Wang Guantao's trap.

  Of course, this doesn't mean that the previous Wang Guanlan was an idiot, but rather because Wang Guanlan had to take care of things. This world is a strictly hierarchical one, and this hierarchy isn't just reflected in martial arts levels, but also in social status. Wang Guanlan was a concubine's son, so his position within the palace wasn't high, yet he was still a young master, a superior. Green Lotus and Lotus Heart were his slaves, and as such, they had to fulfill their duties towards him. Similarly, when necessary, he also had to stand up for them. A master who couldn't even protect his own slaves would definitely be looked down upon. Green Lotus was Zhou Bao's maid, so when she got into trouble, regardless of whether it was her fault or not, as her master, Wang Guanlan had to take responsibility.

  It was precisely because of this that Wang Guanchao would have predicted that Wang Guanlan would go.

  He didn't expect that the current Wang Guanlan was no longer the thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, he would indeed go, but absolutely not in the way they imagined, rushing over.

  "Alright, I know, you lead the way!" Wang Guanlan thought for a moment and had already made up her mind.

  "Hmph, since you Wang Guantao want to play with me, I'll play along with you, just afraid that you can't keep up!" He thought viciously in his heart.

  …………

  ………

  Ningwang Mansion, Baihua Garden

  Compared with Wang Guanlan's residence, this White Birch Garden occupies at least five or six times the area of that small courtyard, and has all the necessary features such as artificial hills, ponds, pavilions, and towers.

  It's just that the current season is only early spring, and it's too early to cool off in the pavilion. There are already four or five people in the pavilion, either sitting or standing, chatting or laughing, with a carefree appearance. Among these people, a green-robed girl rushed into the pavilion with a sorrowful face, her expression revealing a sense of despair.

  "Brother Jiu, you're really in high spirits today, actually having the time to come sit with me and watch a good show!" In the cool pavilion, there were two young men sitting between stone tables, leisurely drinking tea and chatting. One of them was about the same age as Wang Guanlan, wearing brocade clothes, with an air of arrogance and pride that couldn't be concealed between his eyebrows. This young man was Wang Guanchao, the son of Ning Wang's seventh wife. Sitting across from him was a 16- or 17-year-old young man in a blue Confucian robe, with a warm smile on his face, but this smile couldn't hide the self-satisfaction between his eyebrows. He was also a son of Ning Wang, ranked ninth, Ninth Young Master Wang Guantao. In the mansion, Wang Guantao's status was not ordinary, Wang Guanlan's mother was a servant girl, so her status was the lowest, while Wang Guanchao's mother was a concubine, so her status was much higher than Wang Guanlan's. In the mansion, she also had some influence. Wang Guantao's mother was also one of Ning Wang's concubines, but she was ranked fourth and was the fourth madam of the mansion. Of course, the ranking of concubines was calculated based on the time they entered the mansion, a higher ranking didn't necessarily mean a higher status. In fact, in many families, the lower-ranking concubines had a higher status because they were younger, so the master favored them. Currently, the most favored young concubine in Ning Wang's mansion was ranked 22nd, she was only 16 years old and was newly married to Ning Wang this year.

  Wang Guantao's status is high for two reasons. Firstly, Wang Guantao's mother comes from a scholarly family, while Wang Guanchao's mother is from a merchant family, which means they have different social statuses in the Great Qi Dynasty. Secondly, Wang Guantao has already entered school and is the fourth among Ning Wang's 27 sons to do so. Although he is ninth in line and not the eldest son, his status is only below that of the eldest son. Moreover, as a student, he enjoys exemption from taxes and has received an award of land from the government, which is something that illegitimate children like Wang Guanchao and Wang Guanlan cannot compare to.

  "I'm not here to watch the show, I just happened to be here. Eleventh brother, are you sure this little girl stole your things? I don't think she looks like it at all!"

  Wang Guanchao's face stiffened for a moment, then he burst out laughing and said, "Ninth brother, this thief, who would write the word 'thief' on their own face? This little girl was sneaking around outside my White Birch Garden, and coincidentally, my things have gone missing. Tell me, where in the world would there be such a coincidence?"

  Wang Guantao smiled, although he was disdainful in his heart, but he didn't say anything on the surface. The brothers in the mansion were all of a certain character, and he naturally knew them well. Wang Guanchao's little trick in his heart was not a secret either. However, since he had come today with a request for this young man, he might as well pretend he hadn't seen him. When necessary, helping him out wouldn't be a problem either. After all, his impression of Wang Guanlan wasn't very good - an illegitimate son who didn't know the times and was arrogant despite being a bookworm. Such a guy would not only bring no benefits to himself even if he entered the imperial academy but would also threaten his own status. Getting rid of him through Wang Guanchao's hands wouldn't be bad either.

  Seeing Wang Guantao speechless, Wang Guanchao knew he was moved, smiled knowingly and stopped talking, starting to slowly savor the tea in front of him. His gaze, however, was directed towards the entrance of Baihua Garden, as if waiting for something.

  Wang Guanlan didn't keep him waiting for long, and he soon appeared in the Baihua Garden with Lianxin. Wang Guanlan's face was expressionless, while Lianxin's expression seemed a bit strange. However, no one paid attention to Lianxin, this maid who had betrayed her master, and it was only natural that she would have complex emotions and a weird expression.

  "Old fourteen, you've finally arrived! You and Ninth Brother have kept me waiting for half a day!" Seeing Wang Guanlan enter, Wang Guanchao's face moved, squeezing out a smile. That smile looked particularly awkward in Wang Guanlan's eyes - clearly just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old kid, yet he was imitating an adult, with a completely insincere smile plastered on his face. It made Wang Guanlan really want to rush over and slap him a few times, but of course, it wasn't the right time yet.

  "Hey Ninth Brother, you're here too!" After glancing at Wang Guantao who remained seated and unmoving, a polite smile also appeared on Wang Guanlan's face.

  "Huh?!" Wang Guanlan gave himself a smile and bowed, Wang Guantao was somewhat unexpected, but he also smiled and returned the bow, "I just happened to be there, didn't expect to run into something like this!"

  "Nobody wants something like this to happen!" Wang Guanlan said calmly, "And I still don't know what happened until now?!"

  "You don't know, you still have the face to say you don't know, your maid stole something from Young Master Eleven, now she's been caught red-handed, are you going to deny it?!?" Just as Wang Guanlan's voice fell, a sturdy young man standing behind Wang Guantao shouted out, as if afraid others wouldn't hear clearly, his voice was extremely loud.

  "Master, I didn't, it was them who framed me..."

  Luohua, who was kneeling on the ground, hurriedly opened her mouth to defend herself, but before she could speak, a loud slapping sound was heard. The sturdy young man slapped her mouth with a loud slap, which not only caused blood to splatter everywhere but also knocked out several of Luohua's teeth. The white teeth mixed with the red blood fell to the ground, making a gruesome sight.

  On the side, Wang Guantao's eyebrows slightly furrowed, while Wang Guanlan's expression remained unchanged. "Alright, Lü He, don't speak up, I'll handle this matter myself!"

  When these words reached Wang Guantao's ears, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, and his impression of Wang Guanlan dropped a few points.

  No matter what, this Lu He was his servant girl, now being caught by others, with no distinction between black and white, and yet she was beaten up like this in front of him, but he didn't say a word to plead for mercy, instead he let Lu He shut up, it seems that he wanted to hush things up, even at the expense of sacrificing Lu He, such a coward, indeed made people look down on him, how could he have pretended to be so proud and arrogant all along, thinking about this, Wang Guantao couldn't help but reveal a hint of disdain in his eyes when looking at Wang Guanlan.

  But Wang Guanchao and the others had a joyful expression on their faces. To be sure, in his heart, he was very wary of Wang Guanlan because Wang Guanlan had even more potential to advance further. Most importantly, he himself had once tried to harm him but failed. After hearing that Wang Guanlan woke up, he was worried that Wang Guanlan would expose the fact that he pushed him into the pond. Although he wasn't afraid, it wouldn't be beneficial for him if the matter became a big deal in the city. However, Wang Guanlan didn't do so and didn't expose him. Logically speaking, he should have been relieved, but the more silent Wang Guanlan was, the more uneasy he felt. He also suspected that Wang Guanlan was waiting for an opportunity to strike back after entering the academy, at which point he would be at a disadvantage. Therefore, he wanted to find ways to turn the situation around before Wang Guanlan entered the academy and completely defeat him. That's why he set up this scheme, but unexpectedly, Wang Guanlan turned out to be so timid, revealing his willingness to sacrifice Green Lotus as soon as he appeared. In that case, there was no need to fear him anymore. With this incident as a foundation, even if the young man entered the academy in the future, he would likely face people's disdain and wouldn't have much of an advancement in status within the mansion. Moreover, it would also plant a bad impression in people's hearts, making it difficult for him to deal with himself!

  Wang Guantao looked at the ashen-faced Green Lotus and burst out laughing, "Fourteenth brother, I didn't want to say it either, we're all brothers after all, but the servants you've trained are really ——!"

  "Alright, Eleventh Brother, don't say anything more. The right and wrong of this matter is not for you to say, nor is it for me to say!" Wang Guanlan still had that calm expression as he cut off Wang Guantao's words.

  "What?!" Wang Guanchao was stunned for a moment, and for a while, he didn't react.