163: Fan Sizhe: Fan Jian! Please stop licking!

Chapter 162: Fan Sizhe: Fan Jian! Please stop fawning! (23)

Fan Ruoruo's expression was solemn, completely devoid of the youthful immaturity she once had.

Fan Jian's heart ached. He wanted to do one last thing for Xiao Yezi's son, was it really that difficult?

Moreover, he had been kneeling there for half a day, and his daughter showed no intention of letting him get up, indicating that Fan Ruoruo's anger was considerable.

At this moment, Fan Xian, who was kneeling on the ground, broke the silence.

“Princess Qin, although this humble official is not Official Fan's biological son, I have already acknowledged Official Fan as my adoptive father.”

“The Fan Family has a Family rule: adopted sons can also be entered into the Clan register.”

The rules of different Families varied, and the Fan Family's rules happened to have this provision.

Hearing that Fan Xian had found a reason, Fan Jian seemed to grasp at a lifeline.

“Yes, yes, yes! Fan Xian has always been surnamed Fan, and will continue to be surnamed Fan!”

“I have already taken him as an adopted son, and adopted sons can be entered into the Clan register!”

“Ruo Ruo, Fan Xian is your older brother. You two played together when you were little.”

“Since you are already married, why bother with these matters?”

Hearing this, Fan Ruoruo couldn't help but frown, “Father, how can you be so muddled!”

“You are clearer about the current situation than I am. Fan Xian might bring great disaster to the Fan Family!”

Before Fan Jian could reply, Fan Xian spoke first, “Princess Qin, there's no need to worry needlessly!”

“Even if I, Fan Xian, am dull-witted, I am not so ignorant of the situation.”

“Don't worry, I, Fan Xian, will take responsibility for my own actions!”

“If anything were to happen, I, Fan Xian, would immediately sever my father-son relationship with Official Fan, and from then on, have no connection with the Fan Family!”

“Over the past two years, Father has protected me repeatedly, taught me diligently, and treated me as his own.”

“My entry into the Fan Family's Clan register is, on one hand, to have a proper identity and belonging, and on the other hand, to repay Father for his many years of kindness!”

Fan Xian's words warmed Fan Jian's heart, and tears almost flowed from his eyes.

This son was not loved in vain. From the moment Fan Xian arrived in the capital, Fan Jian treated him more intimately than his own biological son.

Now, hearing Fan Xian publicly state that he wanted to repay his kindness, Fan Jian was even more moved.

However, when Fan Ruoruo heard this, the anger in her chest could no longer be suppressed.

Seeing Fan Jian's humble appearance, she became even more furious, and a sense of disdain for Fan Jian welled up inside her.

What kind of mind-altering drug did Ye Qingmei give Fan Jian to make him feel no guilt for his sacrificed eldest son and his deceased wife?

“Fan Xian, what do you take my Fan Family for?!”

“When you want to join, you just visit the Fan Family ancestral hall; when you want to leave, you sever ties.”

“Do you think you are very noble, that with your entry into the Fan Family's Clan register, all of us in the Fan Family should feel honored and glorified?”

“Should everyone in the Fan Family, from top to bottom, rejoice and celebrate the addition of you, this noble Dragon seed, Ye Qingmei's son?”

“Fan Xian, you are wrong. I don't care! Besides Fan Jian, no one in the Fan Family will care!”

Fan Xian never expected that his seemingly normal words would infuriate Fan Ruoruo.

What he didn't know was that Fan Ruoruo's anger stemmed from his and Fan Jian's complete disregard for Fan Ruoruo's biological brother and mother.

Over a hundred Fan Family members kneeling in the ancestral hall couldn't believe that this Princess Qin, renowned for her gentleness and virtue, would also unleash such a fierce temper.

However, in their hearts, these people were actually unwilling to let Fan Xian enter the Fan Family's Clan register.

After all, there was no Bloodline connection, and it also harbored huge potential risks.

Fan Jian was even more surprised that Fan Ruoruo actually called him by his full name!

Although with Fan Ruoruo's current status, calling him by his full name was not an issue.

However, this was not something the formerly gentle and obedient Fan Ruoruo would do.

At this moment, he felt his dignity as the Family patriarch being challenged.

“Ruo Ruo, how can you speak to your brother like that!”

Hearing this, Fan Ruoruo gritted her teeth, becoming even more enraged.

She slammed the table, startling Fan Sizhe, who was kneeling in the back, lost in thought.

“Precisely because of my brother, I, Fan Ruoruo, will never allow Fan Xian to enter the Fan Family's Clan register!”

“My biological brother, who was born without even a proper name, was used by you to exchange for this person's life!”

“Every time I see this person, I am reminded of my brother who died unjustly, and my mother who died of depression, literally angered to death by you, Fan Jian!”

“Fan Jian, if you had shown even a shred of guilt towards Mother and Brother all these years, I would not be so angry!”

“Now this person wants to swagger around, gloating, and with a condescending attitude, become a Fan Family member. By what right does he do so?”

Hearing Fan Ruoruo's words, Fan Xian was momentarily speechless.

He looked at the expressions of the people around him and suddenly felt that, apart from Fan Jian, no one else agreed to his joining the Fan Family.

Fan Jian looked at Fan Xian's somewhat bewildered expression, and his heart immediately ached.

He knelt on the ground and said in a firm tone, “Princess Qin, since you are already married, you are a member of the Royal Family!”

“The affairs of the Fan Family are naturally decided by me, the Clan Chief.”

“All matters under heaven are governed by reason. Even if the Regent rules the world, he cannot interfere with my Fan Family's internal affairs!”

“Even if the sky falls today, I, Fan Jian, will ensure Fan Xian enters my Fan Family's Clan register and becomes a Fan Family member!”

Father and daughter were at loggerheads, and everyone else remained silent, like cicadas in winter.

Fan Xian, who always prided himself on his intelligence, now didn't know what to say; anything he said would be wrong, because he was not, after all, a Fan Family member.

However, just at this moment, a furious shout suddenly came from the back row!

“Fan Jian! Don't yell at my sister!”

“I'm not dead yet! What kind of adopted son are you taking in?!”

Fan Ruoruo looked up in surprise, finding Fan Sizhe standing up with an enraged expression.

Liu Ruyu next to him widened her eyes in surprise, wanting to stop Fan Sizhe but couldn't hold him back.

“Fan Jian, it's not like you don't have a son, why are you so eager to have Fan Xian as your son?!”

“Who in the world doesn't know, Fan Xian is not your son!”

“This matter, my sister can't manage, right! I, Fan Sizhe, will manage it!”

Seeing Fan Sizhe stand up and speak to him in such a way, Fan Jian instantly erupted!

As the head of the Family, he had held great authority for many years, his word was law at home.

It was one thing to be reprimanded by Fan Ruoruo, the Princess Qin, but he never expected his youngest son to dare to shout at him.

“Fan Sizhe, how dare you!”

Hearing this, Fan Sizhe's legs inexplicably went weak, and he almost knelt down.

After all, this was his father who had beaten him since childhood; such pressure was deeply ingrained.

However, he glanced at Fan Ruoruo, then straightened himself up again.

The day he went to see Fan Ruoruo, Li Chang'an had said something to him.

Even an honest official finds it hard to settle a Family dispute. Ruo Ruo, after all, was already married. To save the Fan Family, only Fan Sizhe could step up.

“Fan Jian! Why are you shouting?!”

“In your own words, all matters under heaven are governed by reason, and Fan Family matters are managed by Fan Family members!”

“Fan Xian has no Fan Family Bloodline, and you, Fan Jian, have a son to care for you in old age, so why recognize an adopted son and enter him into the Clan register?!”

“Uncles and elders, is there such a principle under heaven?!”

After hearing Fan Sizhe's words, the male members of the Fan Family in the ancestral hall nodded in agreement.

Fan Sizhe continued, “Fan Jian, wake up. What kind of enchantment did Ye Qingmei cast on you?!”

“Ye Qingmei gave birth to a son for someone else, and you're treating him like a precious treasure!”

“You've put in so much effort, inside and out, and gained nothing. What are you even trying to achieve?!”

Fan Sizhe, who was skilled in arithmetic, had truly pondered for a long time and still couldn't understand what Fan Jian was ultimately after.

The plain meaning of these words was, Fan Jian, please, stop fawning! The person has been dead for twenty years!

However, this was practically a public execution of Fan Jian's deepest secret, and Fan Jian instantly broke down!

“Fan Sizhe, you scoundrel!”

“You are so disrespectful and disregard your elders, you are unworthy of being a son!”

“Fan Family matters are managed by Fan Family members, right? I will now expel you from the Fan Family!”

“From now on, you, Fan Sizhe, are no longer a Fan Family member, and you have no say in Fan Xian's entry into the Clan register!”

Hearing Fan Jian's words, Fan Ruoruo immediately stood up, “Fan Jian!”

“For the sake of Fan Xian, you are abandoning your biological son again! You are utterly muddled!”

However, what Fan Ruoruo didn't expect was that Fan Sizhe rushed over directly.

He pressed on Fan Ruoruo's shoulders, making her sit down, then rolled up his sleeves.

“Sister, sit tight.”

“Fan Jian wants to expel me, he can just wait!”

“Watch closely, today I'm going to deal with this old fool!”

Seeing Fan Sizhe roll up his sleeves, Fan Jian couldn't help but take two steps back.

“You... what do you want to do?!”

Fan Sizhe stood with one hand on his hip and pointed at the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall.

“Fan Jian, the Fan Family ancestors are all watching here today!”

“Whether you expel me from the Fan Family or not, you don't have the final say!”

“Eighteen years ago, you used the life of the Fan Family's eldest son of the main branch to exchange for someone else's child!”

“Now, it's still this Fan Xian, and for his sake, you want to expel me from the Family!”

“Today, it's not I, Fan Sizhe, who is unworthy of being a son, but you, Fan Jian, who is unworthy of being a father!”

A complete reversal!

Fan Jian was stunned, and Fan Ruoruo was also somewhat shocked.

All the male members of the Fan Family in the hall didn't know what to say.

Using the eldest son of the main branch to exchange for someone else's child's life was truly incomprehensible.

Fan Jian said, dumbfounded, “Fan Sizhe, you! What do you want to do?!”

“Could it be that you even want to commit patricide?!”

Fan Sizhe said, “Are you worthy? Are you worthy of being my father?”

“Today, all the uncles and elders of the Clan are here, please bear witness!”

“Is a person like Fan Jian, who sacrifices the Fan Family Bloodline and still wants an outsider's son to enter the Clan register, worthy of being a Fan Family member?”

“A Family should be harmonious. How can one abandon one's own sons for someone else's son?!”

“And it's two sons! Me, and my innocent elder brother who died unjustly!”

“I, Fan Sizhe, propose that Fan Jian be expelled from the Family!”

Before Fan Sizhe even finished speaking, Fan Jian hadn't reacted, but Fan Ruoruo immediately followed up.

“Ancestors of the Fan Family above, and all elders present, I recommend Fan Sizhe to be the Clan Chief of the Fan Family.”

“The other day at the imperial court, Fan Sizhe was already enfeoffed as Earl Chengping, and like Fan Jian and Fan Xian, he is a first-class Earl.”

“As for Fan Jian, he cannot distinguish right from wrong, is ignorant of affairs, muddled and incompetent, and cannot fulfill the role of Clan Chief of the Fan Family!”

“Whether to expel him from the Fan Family, please let the new Clan Chief and all elders discuss and decide!”

The brother and sister, in perfect concert, instantly took control of the situation.

The Fan Family members present were very clear that behind the two of them stood the Regent, one of the two suns of the Great Qing Dynasty.

Fan Jian's finger trembled as he pointed at Fan Sizhe, stammering for a long time without being able to utter a single word.

“I agree to Fan Sizhe becoming the Clan Chief!”

“I, too, agree!”

“Me too!”

...Without much effort, Fan Sizhe became the new Clan Chief of the Fan Family.

This new Clan Chief, indignant that Fan Jian wanted to expel him for Fan Xian's sake, truly expelled Fan Jian from the Family.

Thus, this ancestral worship was led by Fan Sizhe, while Fan Jian and Fan Xian were both driven out of the ancestral hall.

However, Fan Jian couldn't even keep Fan Xian as a son. One day, Fan Xian left the capital without saying goodbye, completely departing.

Fan Jian knew that Wu Zhu must have returned.

Leaving without a word was also to protect him; whatever Fan Xian did, it no longer concerned Fan Jian.

In the original drama, Fan Xian had six fathers.

Now, his biological father Emperor Qing had turned against him, and his godfather Chen Pingping and Master Fei Jie were dead.

His father-in-law never materialized, and now his adoptive father had also severed ties.

By Fan Xian's side, there was only one person, his uncle Wu Zhu, the strongest in the world.

Autumn had arrived.

After a day of organizing intelligence, Sang Wen finally picked up her favorite pipa.

The north wind howled outside the window; the capital had entered deep autumn. Since Li Chang'an became the Regent, he hadn't come to listen to music for a long time.

After Sang Wen finished her song, she suddenly heard someone applauding from the bed.

She turned her head and saw that Li Chang'an, whom she had been thinking of, had finally arrived.

He always came like this, silently, whenever he wished.

But this time, it seemed a little different.

“Sang Wen, come and sit.”

Sang Wen put down the pipa, her hands nervously clasped together, and walked gracefully to the bedside to sit down.

The person lying beside her was the most powerful man in the Great Qing Dynasty, and also the person she had always hidden deep in her heart.

“Your Highness, you finally have time today.”

Li Chang'an took the girl's slender hand, causing Sang Wen's delicate body to tremble violently.

He said softly, “I won't leave tonight, is that alright?”

Sang Wen's body stiffened, her lips trembling nervously, “Alright? Al… alright!”

She was, after all, inexperienced, unlike an old hand like Li Chang'an, and was caught off guard as Li Chang'an pulled her into the bed.

Sang Wen gasped as she fell into Li Chang'an's arms, her cheeks flushed crimson, feeling intoxicated and unable to control herself.

Li Chang'an held Sang Wen, placing his hand on her flat stomach, slowly moving upwards.

Sang Wen turned her head, her cheeks as red as a sunset, and whispered, “Your Highness…”

Li Chang'an gently caressed her, chuckling softly, “If you don't like it, I won't force it.”

Sang Wen immediately held down the hand that was about to leave, and said tremblingly, “Sang Wen likes it, I've liked it for over ten years.”

She spoke the deepest words of her heart, her plump face flushed, and she lowered her head to remove her shoes and socks.

Sang Wen was obedient, suppressing her shyness and anticipation, she reached one hand behind her waist and unfastened her dress.

Sang Wen was a novice, but Li Chang'an was not.

He skillfully unbuttoned Sang Wen's outer garment, then kissed her fair, swan-like neck and her tender, flawless face.

Sang Wen's cheeks were kissed by Li Chang'an, and she felt a mix of shy joy and sweetness in her heart.

Unbeknownst to them, the bed curtains were drawn, and clothes were thrown out one after another from inside.

Only, the speed at which the clothes were thrown out became faster and faster, as if being urged on by something.

The north wind was strong all night.

Very strong.

PS: From experience, these chapters should be posted early.