Chapter 598: Trust (2)
The moment Fan Zijin opened his mouth, it was obvious with whom his allegiance lay.
Rong Xuan had been good friends with and served Qi Xiuyuan for many years, so he considered the problem from Qi Xiuyuan’s perspective.
On the other hand, Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran grew up together and were as close as brothers. Hence, he subconsciously protected Qi Haoran’s interests.
Qi Haoran hadn’t considered such implications. When he heard this, he waved his hand nonchalantly and said, “Big Brother trusts me. Besides, I’m not training my own private army. Although those people will be training under me, their loyalty will lie with Big Brother and Great Qi. If they can’t even recognize who’s the master, I wouldn’t have them under my wing.”
Just as he had said, he wanted to build an army that was loyal to Great Qi and the Emperor, not a private army. If someone under him valued Qi Haoran more than this country, he would definitely not promote that person to become an assistant commander. He might let such a person lead a small troop, but in that case, what future would the other party have?
He wanted to set an example so that the Yuan family’s army would become the Great Qi’s army instead of following General Yuan’s orders like now.
There was another matter Qi Haoran wanted to discuss with Fan Zijin about. He hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Cousin, I have something to ask of you.”
Fan Zijin shivered and shook his shoulders. “Don’t call me Cousin. Nothing good ever comes out of it whenever you call me that.”
Qi Haoran smiled and tried to curry favor. “Even if I don’t, you’re still my cousin.”
If not for the fact that there was a table between them, Fan Zijin would definitely believe that Qi Haoran would fawningly rush up to massage his legs and shoulders.
He rubbed his temples and asked, “What exactly is it?”
Qi Haoran immediately sat upright and asked, “Are you setting off with me or later?”
Fan Zijin rolled his eyes at him and said, “Since I’m your Military Advisor, naturally, I’ll set off with you.”
“What about Cousin-in-law?” Qi Haoran immediately asked, “When is she leaving?”
Fan Zijin was stunned and asked, “Leaving for where?”
“To Qiannan. Let’s set up camp and stockade first. When is Cousin-in-law leaving? When the time comes, let Ah Ling and the child accompany her.” Qi Haoran said ingratiatingly, “I know that you have a specially-made carriage that’s very comfortable. I’m afraid that the child can’t get used to traveling on the road considering it’s a long journey to Qiannan, so how about letting Ah Ling bring the child along with Cousin-in-law?”
Fan Zijin’s face darkened. “Who said that Little Madam Xia is going to Qiannan?”
Qi Haoran blinked. “She’s not going to Qiannan? We’ll be gone for anywhere between four to eight years…”
“Since my mother is still at home, someone has to serve her.” Fan Zijin paused and said, “In my opinion, Ah Ling shouldn’t go either. It’s so inconvenient for her to go there with a child. What if something happens along the way? You might as well take in a concubine.”
Qi Haoran jumped up and said, “Don’t spout nonsense. I have no intention of taking in a concubine. If Ah Ling hears this, I won’t be able to clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River.”
Fan Zijin kicked him angrily. “Are you so terrified of your wife that you’ll do whatever she says? It’s so common to have at least one or two concubines.”
Qi Haoran said sternly, “Zinzi, we’ve all suffered from having concubines at home before. I don’t want Little Bear to suffer like us in the future. Moreover, I can’t bear to see Ah Ling sad. Don’t mention this again.”
Fan Zijin snorted and said, “Are we idiots who dote on concubines and neglect their wives?” Fan Zijin did not think that he would dote on his concubines and neglect his wife, let alone not differentiate between the legitimate wife and concubines. Hence, he was not against taking in concubines because he looked down on concubines from the bottom of his heart.
Would he fall in love with such lowly women?
However, seeing how nervous Qi Haoran was, he snorted softly. Qi Haoran and his wife did not have any experience of dealing with concubines in their homes. If Qi Haoran really took in a concubine, something might really happen.
As for why he kept mentioning it, it was obvious. He was happy to see Qi Haoran stomping his feet in anxiety.
After torturing Qi Hao, Fan Zijin finally relented. “Alright, isn’t it just a carriage? I’ll leave it for her when the time comes.”
Satisfied, Qi Haoran started to show concern for his best friend’s private life. “Are you really not bringing Cousin-in-law along? You don’t have a legitimate son yet and you’ll be separated for such a long time. Since Aunt is in good health now, just let Cousin-in-law come back in a few years to exercise filial piety.”
Fan Zijin frowned and fell into deep thought.
Qi Haoran said, “I know you said that you won’t dote on your concubine and neglect your wife, or differentiate between the legitimate and illegitimate children. However, if the eldest son isn’t born from the legitimate wife, the servants in the residence will treat them differently. Your wife and child will more or less be affected. Didn’t your mother suffer because of this back then?”
Fan Zijin’s expression changed slightly. He said evilly, “Mother only landed in that state because that person was biased.”
Qi Haoran nodded. “But if you were the eldest son and Aunt consolidated her position early, her life would definitely have been much better.”
Fan Zijin instantly changed his mind. Haoran was right. Even if he did not think for Little Madam Xia, he had to think for his legitimate sons and daughters.
After Qi Xiuyuan officially appointed him as Qi Haoran’s Military Advisor, Fan Zijin expressed at the dining table that he wanted to bring Little Madam Xia to Qiannan.
Little Madam Xia looked up at Fan Zijin in surprise, her eyes slightly red.
When Fan Zijin saw this, he became even more certain about this decision.
Madam Xia was only stunned for a moment before nodding. “Alright. You’re still newlyweds, so it’s indeed hard on you to be away from each other. Your father and I are still healthy, so you don’t have to worry.” However, she couldn’t hide the disappointment in her heart.
In the past two years, Madam Xia increasingly felt that Fan Zijin had become estranged from her. Now that her daughter-in-law was leaving the capital, she was afraid that they would become even more estranged in the future.
Fan Siwen obviously thought so too. Hence, his face darkened and he said, “I reckon Little Madam Xia should stay by your mother’s side and serve her. Let your mother choose a concubine for you.”
If Fan Zijin had been 80% sure of that decision, he was now 100% determined. His face darkened and he sneered. “I don’t have a legitimate eldest son yet, so I’m not in the mood to take in a concubine. As for being filial to you and Mother, aren’t Big Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother at home? Just let them serve Father and Mother for a few years on my behalf.”
Anger flashed across Fan Siwen’s face. He slammed his chopsticks down and questioned, “Are you blaming me?”
Fan Zijin asked in surprise, “Father, what do you mean?”
Everyone could hear the resentment in Fan Zijin’s words, and the surprise on his face was so fake. Anyone with eyes would know that he did it on purpose.
So angry that his chest heaved up and down, Fan Siwen turned to look at Madam Xia. In the past, Madam Xia would have long stood up to stop the father and son, but today, she was a little tired and dazed, so she ignored the conflict between the two of them.
Fan Zixiao and his brothers even buried their heads in their chests, not daring to say a word.
Even Fan Zixiao, who often provoked Fan Zijin in the past, had become obedient, let alone the other concubine sons who never had much of a presence.
Aside from being the current Emperor’s cousin, everyone knew that Fan Zijin was second only to Prince Rong and was one of the only two Dukes in Great Qi. How could Fan Zixiao dare to provoke him again?
Source: NovelFull.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co