At this moment, Fang Jingchen smiled and introduced him, "Zehhao, this is my younger brother Fang Jingwan. The few behind are my three nephews and one niece."
Not far away, a few people looked over at him. He smiled at them and wanted to come over. Because they hadn't received Fang Jingchen's permission, they didn't dare to come. They stood where they were, smiling at their group.
Fan Zehao bowed slightly to Fang Jingwan. "Greetings, Uncle Fang."
"Good, good, all good. Your Highness need not be so polite. You shame a commoner!" Fang Jingwan dared not accept such a grand bow from him.
His elder brother's warning from earlier was still ringing in his ears. He dared not forget it!
Fang Jingchen waved to his nephews in the distance and introduced the three nephews to Fan Zehao. Among them, the third nephew, Fang Mingjiang, specifically introduced himself to Fan Zehao.
"He is currently the Assistant Minister of Personnel. Although his official position is not high, he is still very promising and has been praised by the Emperor multiple times!"
After Fang Jingchen finished speaking, he patted his shoulder and walked towards the front hall. Fan Zehao, trailing behind, was somewhat bewildered.
A string of question marks popped up in his mind. Did his godfather want him to promote him?
Or was this person named Fang Mingjiang going to be his helper in the future?
Or was he trying to win over forces for himself?
With many questions in his heart, he walked to the banquet. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiaqi was surrounded by a group of female relatives.
The leader was a woman about fifty years old. After she introduced herself as Ran Ye, Zhao Jiaqi learned that she was Fang Jingchen's sister-in-law, Fang Jingwan's wife.
Ran Ye naturally and warmly took her hand and smiled, "Let's go to the backyard. We won't chat with that group of men. They always talk endlessly about fighting and killing, which is quite chilling!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled faintly, not responding.
In the backyard, the winter plum blossoms in the plum grove were in full bloom. From a distance, the grove was a fiery red, looking very festive.
Looking at the plum grove, Ran Ye said to Zhao Jiaqi beside her, "This plum grove was personally planted by my elder brother for my elder sister-in-law when she was alive. Unexpectedly, she died in difficult childbirth, and both mother and child were lost. The winter plums on that day were also blooming beautifully, just like now. It's a pity my elder sister-in-law will never see them."
Her voice was calm, and when she recounted the event, it was as if she were talking about someone else. She even had a slight smile on her face, as if watching a joke.
Zhao Jiaqi lowered her gaze, realizing at this moment how the General Fang's wife had died. She felt a great sense of regret.
Ran Ye said many more things afterward. Zhao Jiaqi would occasionally respond with a "hmm" or a few perfunctory remarks. Most of the time, she just listened to what these people were saying.
However, as they talked, Zhao Jiaqi began to sense something.
Ran Ye said, "Princess Consort, it's not that aunt is gossiping, but you should persuade your godfather to adopt a son. Otherwise, what will happen in a few years? Although the Prince is filial, when it comes to lineage, he is not of the Fang family bloodline. If my elder brother passes away in the future, he will have no face to see his ancestors. Otherwise, this branch of the Fang family will truly be without heirs."
Ran Ye intended to persuade Zhao Jiaqi by appealing to her emotions and reasoning, hoping to use her to advise Fang Jingchen. One had to admit, this was a very circuitous approach.
Zhao Jiaqi looked at Ran Ye seriously for the first time, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Aunt, what you're saying is inappropriate. Godfather handles his own affairs; why should this Princess Consort interfere? No matter what happens to Godfather in the future, the fortune he has accumulated has nothing to do with my husband and me, nor do we covet this vast fortune."
In the end, didn't they just covet this fortune, fearing it would fall into their hands?
This time, she would reassure these people, putting their minds completely at ease and preventing them from causing trouble for her unnecessarily.
Sensing Zhao Jiaqi's displeasure, Ran Ye's eldest daughter-in-law, Zheng Man, immediately chimed in, smiling and explaining on her mother-in-law's behalf, "Princess Consort misunderstands my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law just doesn't want to see her eldest brother-in-law have no son to dote on him in his old age, feeling lonely and helpless."
This statement was truly laughable. Zhao Jiaqi asked Zheng Man, "If you truly feel filial piety towards my godfather, then you can take him into your home to enjoy his old age. Although he is a nephew, he can still provide filial care. Why must you insist on adopting a son?"
As soon as she said this, a young girl sitting behind them snorted dismissively, "How can that be the same? A son can inherit the entire family fortune!"
As expected, she came from a humble background and lacked such common sense!
Fang Yan pouted and rolled her eyes, secretly snorting.
Upon hearing this, Ran Ye was almost angered to the point of fainting. She glared fiercely at her and inwardly cursed her as an idiot.
Turning back to smile at Zhao Jiaqi, she said, "Princess Consort, please don't mind. My daughter is brainless and never thinks before she speaks!"
Zhao Jiaqi glanced at Fang Yan, then turned back to Ran Ye and said impolitely, "I think your daughter's words are quite right. Whether the nephews are filial or not is their own business; there's no need to tell me this!"
She stood up, genuinely tired of these women. Gently rubbing her aching forehead, she said, "This Princess Consort is tired and will go to rest now!"
With that, she led Qiufen away from the warm pavilion.
In the plum grove, Zhao Jiaqi gazed at the clusters of blooming winter plum blossoms, pondering their earlier conversation. She then shook her head slightly.
Within the deep mansions, there were indeed hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
The matters concerning General Fang and Fan Zehao reached the Emperor's ears.
His expression darkened slightly upon hearing this, then turned into a sigh.
Prince Jin, Huangfu Qiuping, saw this and raised his eyelids. "Your Imperial Brother, I heard that General Fang's brother, Fang Jingwan, intends to adopt his second son, Fang Zhiwei, to him. The merchants who do business with Fang Jingwan all know about this."
Prince Jin almost said that it was common knowledge in the capital.
Huangfu Jintao scoffed disdainfully upon hearing this and did not believe it at all.
"A merchant full of the smell of copper, becoming the son of a general? How is he worthy of that! They are all after Fang Jingchen's fortune; which one of them is truly sincere towards him!"
Prince Jin nodded subtly. "However, Fang Mingjiang, Fang Jingwan's illegitimate son, is quite capable. He is the only promising illegitimate son in the second branch of the Fang family."
"Indeed!" Huangfu Jintao only gave these four words and ended the conversation.
The Emperor was not interested in Fang Jingchen's family background. He was currently interested in Fan Zehao, who was, so far, the only prince of a different surname in Yun Kingdom and held command of two hundred thousand troops.
If handled improperly, he could pose a crisis to Yun Kingdom. If settled properly, he would undoubtedly be a formidable sword in the future, invincible.
Frowning deeply, he asked his younger brother, "Qiuping, what do you think, how should I settle Fan Zehao?"
Settle him?
Qiuping raised an eyebrow. "According to ancestral law, enfeoffed kings are granted fiefs. Why not choose a fief for him and let him manage it, prohibiting him from returning to the capital without summons?"
He knew how to do this, of course, but this was not what he wanted.
"Let the fief be in the north. That area has just ended its war and is in dire need of management. The Princess Consort is also skilled in agriculture, so she can complement the King of Zhen by mutual cooperation. Most importantly, it can deter the Zongsheng Kingdom. What are Your Imperial Brother's thoughts?" Qiuping guessed that his Imperial Brother was hesitant about which fief to grant.
If he gave a prosperous region, he feared Fan Zehao might become ambitious and rebel.
If he gave a poor region, he feared being accused of narrow-mindedness, hence he was seeking others' mouths to silence the gossip.
He was merely a pawn, to be used in the right place!
One had to admit, he truly possessed a keen mind. Immediately, Huangfu Jintao drafted an imperial decree, entrusting the management of the five provinces and six prefectures in the north to Fan Zehao.