105 Foolish Duo

Chen Zi Tao nodded when he heard An Wei's words. Without turning his face to see An Wei, Chen Zi Tao spoke once again.

"This old man is no longer as young as before. This old man fears that this old man can no longer protect the Chen family, especially my beloved maternal granddaughter. An Wei, this old man will leave Rong'er in your hands. This old man hopes that you will be able to take good care of her once this old man dies."

"Please do not utter such words, Old Master. Young Miss will definitely feel sad once she finds out what you are thinking."

"Ai. This old man knows that this old man's life is already starting to fade. This old man is not afraid to die but this old man wants to make sure that even after this old man dies, the Chen family will be able to survive. The only one this old man can count on is you, An Wei."

An Wei remained silence. His mouth that was hidden in a thin veil pursed together, forming in a thin line before exhaling a large quantity of air.

"When old master saved this subordinate's life, this subordinate already swore to the heavens that this subordinate will forever protect the Chen family and won't even let anyone hurt the Young Miss."

"Mmm.. This old man is glad that you are willing to protect my family. An Wei… when the time comes that you will get everything that is rightfully yours from the start, this old man wishes that-----"

"What is old Master saying? An Wei is An Wei. An Wei is only a subordinate under Old Master and Young Miss' personal shadow guard. This subordinate has been reborn and has already forgotten his previous life before. This subordinate does not plan to leave the Chen's residence and will not stay away from the Young Miss."

"Mmm.. Is that so? Then, this old man will honor your decision. Too bad this old man once wished that you will take good care of Rong'er and become her spouse but it seems like it is already too late. It would be nice if you become my grandson in law but since His Majesty had already bestowed an imperial marriage between her and His Highness Xu QingWang, this old man could only allow it to happen. If only you will resume your identity as----"

"Old Master, this subordinate already cast away everything this subordinate has after surviving that horrible massacre, this subordinate has already stopped using my identity and had already forgotten the memories this subordinate had when he was young."

"Ai. What you said is right. What happens in the past will remain in the past. Go and find my granddaughter and make sure that she is fine. Although Rong'er knows how to protect herself, she could still not make an appropriate decision wisely."

"The Young Miss is a very intelligent person, Old Master should not fear."

"Ai.. This old man hopes so… This old man just pity this child who was currently living inside this place which is full of vipers and snakes. Too bad, Rong'er's family name is Xuan and not Chen. No matter what, she belongs to the Xuan Family. I'll leave Rong'er to you because this old man might leave the capital and go back to the border. The two sons of mine are already both there and this old man fears that this old man will not be able to comeback. The imperial family is already feeling wary with our Chen family, especially the Emperor. Once this old man left the capital, this old man is afraid that he will bully my Chen family. An Wei… no matter what happens, you must protect XuanRong at all cost… do you understand? I pity that child. She lost her mother at an early age and her father neglected her, leaving her all alone and lonely inside the four corners of the Prime Minister's courtyard. It was a pity that she was dragged inside this messy life wherein she could just remain as an honorable daughter of the prime minister and be married off peacefully. Unfortunately, she had a strong maternal family which made her the target of malicious schemes. An Wei… you are the only one I trust."

Hearing Chen Zi Tao's words full of trust to him, An Wei could not help but blush a little bit. His face were feeling hot while his heart had an irregular beating. He swore inside his heart that he would not fail in protecting XuanRong.

"This… This subordinate will not disappoint you, Old Master."

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XuanRong was clutching the man's collar while she was being carried away from the Thousand Li courtyard. XuanRong could not help but steal glances at his face that was covered with a golden mask. The man noticed XuanRong's movement but he was not happy.

How can he be happy when he saw that she was quite enjoying the show and was even planning to finish the drama until the end? He could not help but taste some sourness inside his mouth when he heard her name being uttered by someone else other than him.

"Uhm…. This benefactor, can.. can you tell me why you are here?"

The man, Xu Fei Yi, did not respond to XuanRong's question. Instead, his embrace tightened, as if he was carrying his personal treasure in a very possessive manner.

*cough* *cough*

XuanRong wanted to cry but lacked tears. She was really unsure what to do. It had been a long time since they were traveling but he still refused to talk to her.

"A-are your arms already stiff? Why don't you put me down? I can walk on my own."

*caw!* *caw!* *caw!*

XuanRong could only hear the crows cry and nothing more. The man stayed silent. She tried to negotiate but in the end, she failed. Without any other choice, XuanRong could only lean on Xu Fei Yi's chest and let him carry her towards her courtyard.

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Chen Zi Tao and his eldest daughter in law was currently riding a carriage. The carriage's flags had an insignia of a red armor with a lion at the center, it was the Chen Family's symbol.

Inside the carriage, Chen Zi Tao was narrating everything to his daughter in law, allowing her to know the things happened inside the XiangFu. Even if he would not say anything to his eldest daughter in law and the other members of the family, he could tell that they would immediately hear everything since what happened at the Thousand Li courtyard could not be hidden. The commotion this time was bigger. Although not all guests were able to witness the entire situation since some were still at the residence's hall, still, those who were with them were many. Thus, Chen Zi Tao told everything to his eldest daughter in law.

After hearing everything, Eldest Chen Furen could not help but get angry. She squeezed the handkerchief on her hand as if she was trying to squeeze Xiao Lou's neck.

"Those nasty people! How could they try to frame Rong'er? And what was her father doing? Prime Minister Xuan seems like he was a foolish person! He was clearly bias towards those malicious mother and child duo! Urgh! Poor Rong'er…"

Eldest Chen Furen was fuming mad while silently cursing XuanFei and Xiao Lou inside her heart.

Looking at his daughter in law's angry face, Chen Zi Tao sighed.

"Ren-shi[1]…."

"But father in law, what they did to Rong'er was despicable! Besides, father in law, you clearly knew that it was that mother and daughter's scheme but you did not say anything. It was already as clear as the sky that the reason why that former Lou YiNiang suddenly went crazy and stabbed the female servant when she already started confessing was because she was afraid that other people would find out. Why did father in law decided not to pursue the matter? This daughter in law could not understand. If father in law tried to press the issue, for sure, those two malicious people would not be able to escape being punished…. But you did not do anything and acted oblivious towards those two's schemes. Why?"

Hearing Eldest Chen Furen's confused question, Chen Zi Tao's eyes sharpened.

"Ren-shi, always remember that not all the things you have seen or heard must be voiced out. Sometimes, you have to pretend like you did not see or did not hear a thing. Although father in law wants to punish those two, father in law knows that it was useless. The involved person is someone the Chen family should feel cautious with."

"… the Crown Prince?"

"Indeed. If it was only the XiangFu, the Chen family is not afraid of a mere Prime Minister but, the other person involved is from the royal family, the Crown Prince. Since that Third Lady Xuan had already become His Highness' woman whether intentionally or unintentionally, the fact that the Prime Minister is under the Crown Prince's fraction, that Third Lady Xuan would definitely enter His Highness' palace after what happened. If father in law tried to insist that they should be punished, it would be akin to slapping His Highness' face. Thus, the only thing father in law was able to do was to help clarify Rong'er's name in order to avoid calamity."

"Oh… Daughter in law thanks father in law for teaching daughter in law."

"Mmm… and… did you really think that no one would punish the two of them?"

Eldest Chen Furen fell silent, trying to think deeply. "The Crown Prince!" She gasped.

Chen Zi Tao laughed mockingly.

"Indeed, you are correct. After scheming against His Highness, did you really think that he would sit still and accept the fact that someone conspired against him? Both mother and child were foolish to think that His Highness would not bear grudge against them. His Highness Xu Ji An hated being manipulated by other people. That Third Miss Xuan, even if she will enter the Crown Prince's palace later on, she would definitely experience hell under His Highness' wrath."

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[1]. 'Shi' is attached to identify the person's maiden family name after being married over.

[Unedited Chapter]