Fan Manor was located in the eastern part of the capital, some distance away from Tianhe Road and out of sight of the palace. The people who lived there were all officials and nobles, and there was no room for the common people, so it was relatively quiet. On a deserted street, there was a mansion gate every thirty meters or so. Outside each mansion gate, there was a pair of stone lions squatting quietly. Dozens of stone lions were bored to death in front of their own gates, staring at the carriages that passed by on the street.
The black carriage slowly passed through the street. There were no curious gazes on either side of the road. When it reached the side of Fan Manor, the carriage turned into a side alley with some difficulty. Under the shade of a tree, it stopped at a corner door.
Fan Xian lifted the curtain and helped Teng Zijing out of the carriage. His face was expressionless. He looked around and nodded inconspicuously.
The wooden door opened with a creak, and the servants inside came out to greet them. They looked at Fan Xian curiously and stammered as if they didn't know how to greet him or how to greet him.
Fan Xian smiled and said nothing. He followed Teng Zijing through the door. The servants let out a sigh of relief and began to move the carriage, which was stuffed full of luggage.
A servant had been waiting at the door for a long time, and he led the two of them in. As they went further in, they saw that the courtyard gradually grew deeper. There were fake mountains, flat grass, and shallow water. The scenery was quite elegant. Along the way, they met some old women. When they saw that someone had come, they quietly stood guard by the side of the road. There was no chaos at all.
As they went deeper and deeper, they still had not reached the inner courtyard. Fan Xian couldn't help but admire the grandeur of the old manor in the capital. It was dozens of times larger than the manor in Danzhou. To be able to have such a large manor in the capital, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, it seemed that his father's power was not ordinary.
If it had been an ordinary person, they would have been a little nervous and reserved upon entering a luxurious mansion. Even Sister Lin in Dream of the Red Chamber, when she first entered Rongguo Manor, did not dare to say too much, afraid that she would make a mistake and lose face for herself and the manor.
But Fan Xian was not an ordinary person. Having lived two lives, he had experienced life and death, which made him feel somewhat free and at ease. Moreover, he had long gotten used to his identity as an illegitimate child. Based on his mentality from his previous life, he did not feel that this identity was shameful. Instead, he felt that his father should be the one to lose face. From this point on, he did not care about the Fan manor's reputation.
Therefore, as he walked, he looked around with a smile on his face, without a trace of restraint. Although there was still some shyness in his smile, this shyness was just a cover. He looked at the scenery in the mansion and clicked his tongue in wonder. When he passed by the weeping willow, he stroked it. When he crossed the arch bridge over the shallow lake, he looked at the golden fish in the water.
All the servants in the manor saw his demeanor as he walked, and they could not help but be curious. This "young master", whom they had heard of for more than ten years, was actually such a person. They could not tell what was good or bad about him, but they felt that there was something special about this young man. They just did not know how to put it into words.
When they reached the inner courtyard, Teng Zijing reminded him in a low voice, "Young master, I can't go in here. You should go in yourself..." After some thought, he could not help but remind him, "Young master, please speak..." Along the way, Teng Zijing had begun to admire Fan Xian's indifference. Thinking of the secret struggles in the Fan manor, he could not help but want to remind him of something. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that he was being too impulsive, and did not know how to phrase them.
Fan Xian knew what he was thinking and was slightly moved. He smiled and saluted him. "Don't worry, Teng Zijing." He then reminded him to remember to pack his luggage, as he might need it at night, and so on.
At a time like this, Teng Zijing knew that the handsome young man in front of him was far more mature than his peers. Hearing this, he felt a bit more at ease. He smiled and went with the servant to the side courtyard to rest.
The servant leading the way had been replaced by a servant girl, and she was a young and pretty girl. Fan Xian followed the girl into the back courtyard.
A middle-aged woman came over with a brass basin. She half-knelt and bowed, then helped him wash his face. The temperature of the water was neither too hot nor too cold, just right.
Fan Xian was silent. He wiped his hands, handed the towel back, and said thank you.
The middle-aged woman was a bit surprised to hear this, and retreated in a panic.
Fan Xian smiled. Only now did he remember that the capital was not Danzhou. His politeness to the servant girls seemed unnecessary and inappropriate here.
Even after entering the inner courtyard, he did not stand in the middle of the hall, but was led to the side door by the servant girls. The wall of the side door was painted completely white, but above the door was a slightly protruding black eave.
He stood there for a long time, but no one paid any attention to him. He didn't know if the old house was trying to intimidate him as an illegitimate son, but he gradually felt a bit impatient. He took a deep breath and suppressed it. He raised his eyes to look at the black eave, and upon closer inspection, he found that it was an ancient building. It was indeed elegant.
In fact, Fan Xian had wronged them. The servant girls stood to the side, not because they wanted to give him the cold shoulder, but because they knew the identity of the young man. For a moment, they did not dare to approach him. They did not know how to address him, as he was not the son of the legitimate wife of Fan Manor. For another, the servants did not dare to act rashly before the master of the house arrived. But by now, someone had already gone to inform the master.
Fan Xian waited for a while and laughed at himself. He waved his hand and called over the servant girl who had led him.
The servant girl was delicate and pretty, her face smooth and tender. She was still very young. In a small voice, she asked, "Young … Young … What are your orders?" She had wanted to call him "Young Master", but when she thought of the problem, she could not. Instead, she swallowed the word "Young Master", and her face turned red.
Fan Xian looked at the little girl and laughed. "Bring me a chair."
The servant girl did as she was told, and brought a wooden chair from the hall. The chair was a little heavy, and she was slightly out of breath.
Fan Xian went forward to take the chair and put it on the ground. He smiled and sat down on it. He raised his head to look at the eave, no longer caring about the gazes around him.
The servant girls and old women were shocked to see the young man sitting on the chair. The elders had not arrived, so the juniors should be cautious. How could he be so arrogant?
...
...
The sound of footsteps came from the corridor, and a faint fragrance was carried by the wind, invigorating one's spirit. Fan Xian turned his head and saw a noblewoman walking over with a smile on her face. The woman's face was beautiful, and her eyes were like lacquer. Her dress swayed slightly, and the gold ornaments were a little messy. But when paired with the woman's hidden nobility, it did not seem ostentatious. On the contrary, it seemed reasonable.
Fan Xian took a deep breath and stood up from the chair.
The woman's eyebrows were like black ink, and when she smiled, the whole hall was bright. She looked at Fan Xian from afar and said, "Xian'er, you must have had a hard journey. Please sit."
Fan Xian smiled sweetly. "Hello, Auntie."
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