Chapter 480: Explanation
Editor: Atlas Studios
Chen Fang shifted his gaze up slightly and looked at his grandson. He said indifferently, “Speak. Do you really want to wait for your father to use domestic discipline on you?”
Chen Qian got up and sat on the ground, crying. “Father, I’m really doing this for your own good.” Seeing that his father was so angry that his nose was about to turn crooked, he hurriedly said, “Father, Qi Haoran said that he has the real piece. He has always kept his word. Just wait for another two days and he will definitely send the real piece to our family.”
Chen Sheng looked at his son resentfully. He looked quite smart, but why was he a fool?
Who would exchange an authentic Emperor Shizong piece for a copy?
“I didn’t believe it at first, but I agreed to a request of his and agreed to another request from him.” Seeing that Chen Sheng’s expression softened, he immediately said, “Father, next month is your 40th birthday. I just wanted to give you a surprise, so I secretly stole that thing from you.”
When Chen Sheng heard this, the anger that he had just suppressed flared up again. “You call this a surprise? It’s a shock. You almost scared me to death. Explain everything clearly from the beginning to the end.”
When he heard that the item was in his uncle’s hands, Chen Sheng said to his father unhappily, “Father, why didn’t Uncle say anything when he got this treasure? If he had told me earlier, why would I be so angry?”
Chen Fang glanced at him and said, “He probably guessed that the child stole it. Naturally, he will hide it for as long as he can.”
Chen Sheng snorted in displeasure and turned to ask his son, “Are you sure that Qi Haoran has the authentic piece on him? What if he lied to you? Once the item is in your granduncle’s hands, we can forget about getting it back.”
Chen Qian swore. “I would believe that Fan Zijin lied to me, but I don’t believe Qi Haoran would lie to me. He never lies.”
Chen Sheng was still worried, but Chen Fang said, “It’s most likely true that Qi Haoran has the real thing. I heard that he has a close relationship with that child from the Fan family. Since he initiated the exchange for his cousin’s studies, he naturally won’t lie about such things.”
Chen Sheng was slightly relieved. Chen Fang continued, “Besides, the Qi brothers took back Hanzhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture. Don’t forget that Chang’an used to be the capital. Back then, we fled south in a hurry and lost many of our ancestors’ treasures. Since they took back Jingzhao Prefecture, they can always snatch some more back.”
At this point, Chen Fang looked a little sad. “Those martial artists only love gold and silver and don’t appreciate paintings and calligraphy. I wonder if they will ruin those good things. Those old items will only unleash their value in the hands of the aristocratic families.”
Chen Fang and Chen Cheng looked at Chen Qian with bright eyes. “Since you have a good personal relationship with Qi Haoran, you can find out what good things he has there. We’re willing to exchange with them.”
Chen Qian wiped his tears and shook his head. “Grandfather, Father, don’t even think about it. Why did we rush to coax Qi Haoran out the moment he returned? It’s all because of the things in his hands. However, he gave Fan Zijin all the things he snatched back and placed them all in the Imperial Capital. Not to mention us, even his father can forget about touching them. I’m afraid he doesn’t even know how many precious items he has. With Fan Zijin taking charge of those items, it’s completely impossible for us to obtain any of those precious items without paying a dear price for it. He’s even more shrewd than an unscrupulous businessman.”
“If you want something good, give me silver. I’ll exchange it for you. Although Fan Zijin is stingy, they need a lot of money to do business now. They’re very willing to exchange things for money.” Chen Qian looked at them eagerly.
The father and son fell silent. Although the Chen family was wealthy, they did not have much money. Otherwise, Chen Sheng would not have emptied his wallet and embezzled his wife’s dowry just to buy a memorial.
Chen Fang touched his nose. He couldn’t do anything to deceive people, so he could only shake his head and sigh regretfully.
Seeing that there were only the three of them in the room, Chen Qian asked in a low voice, “Grandfather, was what Qi Haoran said about Granduncle right or wrong? I thought that even if this thing was sent to Granduncle, Granduncle would still return it even if he was tempted. After all, a gentleman treats others sincerely and doesn’t take what others like.”
Chen Sheng sneered and got up from the ground. He kicked his son’s butt with the tip of his foot and said, “I said you’re smart, but you’re not even comparable to a martial artist. You should go through more life experiences and learn how to judge people. Your granduncle…”
“Shut up. How can you criticize your elders and educate your descendants like this?” Chen Fang chided him and turned to Chen Qian. “After going to the battlefield many times, Qi Haoran is filled with hostility. Don’t underestimate him just because he’s a martial artist. The people on the battlefield have especially sharp intuition. Even though he’s inferior to you in terms of interpersonal relationships, I’m afraid he’s not inferior to you in terms of distinguishing people’s hearts. This isn’t something you can learn from reading books.”
So, the granduncle he had always admired was a hypocrite like Qi Haoran had said?
How could Chen Qian, who had revered his granduncle for 18 years, accept this?
As if he did not see his grandson’s pale face, Chen Fang continued, “Although your granduncle is a little… utilitarian, this is a practical world. You can’t blame him.” At this point, Chen Fang felt that he was forcing himself and could not help but sigh.
Chen Qian lowered his head sadly. Chen Sheng suddenly shouted, “You still have the heart to think about your granduncle. Go to the Qi Residence and guard it immediately. Once the item arrives, bring it back immediately. Let me tell you, if you can’t bring back the real thing, don’t come back!”
The sad atmosphere in the room suddenly dissipated. Chen Qian sniffed and felt that his disappointment just now was just an illusion. There was nothing more important than dealing with his father now.
Chen Qian crawled out of the Chen family and was transported to the Qi Residence. He stayed there and refused to leave. In order to show his father his determination, Chen Qian even applied for leave from the government office and stayed in the Qi Residence
Qi Haoran said with a headache, “I won’t go back on my word.”
Knowing that Qi Haoran didn’t want to waste time with him when he could be accompanying his wife, Chen Qian rolled his eyes and spat out two words. “Wife slave!”
Qi Haoran snorted. “If you make me angry, I’ll send a pigeon to let them rest for two more days on the way. It’s very tiring for them to travel all the way south, you know.”
Chen Qian immediately stopped talking.
This time, Qi Haoran sent a letter directly to Qi Xiuyuan, so Qi Xiuyuan received it very quickly.
He threw the letter to Steward Zhu and asked him to find the item in the storeroom and get the two guards to send the item to Lin’an City.
Only then did Rong Xuan know that Qi Haoran had a precious item. He coveted it for a while, but when he thought of the things he had received, he stopped coveting it. Such an item was indeed very valuable in prosperous times, and even now it was hard to come by. However, very few people were willing to spend money to buy them. This was because this was a chaotic world, and these things were only antiques with collector’s value and appreciation value.
Smiling, Rong Xuan said, “In a prosperous era, with these things, the two of you can at least dominate a region and benefit your descendants.”
Qi Xiuyuan said nonchalantly, “If we were in prosperous times, we wouldn’t have had the chance to get these things.”
That was true. If it was a prosperous era and there was no war, these things would only stay in the storerooms of the aristocratic families and nobles.