15 Chapter 14

Once Qi Fan entered his father's study, she immediately saw him frowning while reading few reports. The smell of ink and books lingers around the room calming her agitated heart.

She was happy that Guanting is finally her bethrothed. Before she sleep she always imagine how her wedding procession will go, wearing her wedding attire and the man she loves receiving her in Long Fu next month always makes her smile unknowlingly. She just didn't expect for Xiuying to recover nor for her cousin to witness the intimate interaction between her and Guanting this morning.

"Sit down." Qi Lou's tired voice awakens her from daydreaming, she slowly sit facing her father. Her father who always seem sharp at everything he does now seems to have aged suddenly. She can't help but think how Third Uncle confronted her parents and grandfather this morning. The always calm and collected gaze of his uncle she always admire now looks like a storm brewing chaos in her eyes.

"Do you know what you did wrong Fan'er?" Qi Lou stares at his daughter although he still have two daughters born from his two concubines, Fan'er have always excelled inheriting her mother's talents in singing, playing guqin and flute aside from being intelligent that most tutors they've hired praises her that's why he favors her the most.

"Yes father, I apologize for not being careful in my actions even though I'm inside the manor." After few minutes of silence Fan'er solemnly answered she knows what she wasn't careful enough even if Xiuying didn't recover there are eyes and ears everywhere.

"Good that you aren't like your mother who doesn't know when to stop and not admitting her faults." Qi Lou sighed before continuing. "We don't have any way to solve this as it seems Qi Chen have long known your relationship with Guating. It has been more than a year since that time, he thoroughly know now everything and once they move out even the businesses will not be divided accordingly. We will even loss some of our wealth! Fan'er once you married to Guanting you know what to do to recover our losses we got just to make your dream come true."

"I understand Father I'll make sure to do the arrangement once I am able to and make business ties for our family through Long clan's connections. Thank you Father for making Fan'er be the fiance of Guanting." Qi Fan bow to her father to express her gratitude but in her mind she wants to cut Xiuying's face a million times without her everything would have better. She doesn't need to compete for Guanting, luckily her man believed the rumors of Xiuying being ugly and talentless as her cousin didn't step out of the manor without wearing her veil or disguising.

"Good! I want you to visit your grandfather now that he is disappointed with me and your mother, you need to make sure that you don't loss his favor. Go to him and apologize." Qi Lou wave his left hand to gesture Qi Fan that she can now go.

"Yes Father." Qi Fan gracefully stands up and exits the study leaving Qi Lou who is thinking how to improve the businesses that soon he needs to manage. Though he isn't like Qi Chen who is well known merchant and have connections with most prominent families, his own businesses are stable but adding the family businesses that will be under his and brother's management once the third branch move out he knows he won't be able to easily manage everything at his best.

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The news of Qi Chen's family separating from the Qi clan spreads out and the people residing near Qi Fu have the necks seemed to extend an inch as they try to see the Qi's third branch load their possessions in several big carriages. Everyone is curious for the reason of this sudden change. Few smart ones were able to connect it to the rumors of Long clan's change of fiance from Qi Chen's daughter Xiuying, who had an accident more than a year ago, to Qi Lou's favorite daughter Qi Fan who is well known as one of the four beauties whose talents are praised by royal family.

They also heard that Xiuying's recovery but most were sad as she is known to be talentless and haven't gone out of Qi manor now she will have difficulty in getting married as main wife. Because everyone sees the ladies who were replaced by another, as fiance are viewed as not suitable to be main wife unless Qi Chen would allow her only daughter to be married as concubine.

They also noticed the gloomy atmosphere inside the Qi manor not even the Patriach, two elders and their families are present to send of the third branch, this only proves that this is definitely the third branch severing ties with the family.

While everyone is busy with their own speculations and chattering they didn't notice a lady wearing pastel green hanfu gets in one of the carriages along with her trusted maidservant as some of the tall guards were instructed by Qi Chen to block people from seeing their young miss.