Chapter 61
Seventh Young Master tugged at his mother’s sleeve, stopping her. “Mother, everything you do is for me. If anyone needs to apologize, it should be me!”
He knew all too well how proud his mother was.
Ever since his father became infatuated with wine and women, she had confined herself to the small building, avoiding the front courtyard.
After giving birth to him and his sister, fulfilling the Zhao family’s duty of continuing the lineage, she had even stopped seeing his father.
She was too proud to compete for affection; she did what she believed was right and sought only to keep her distance.
“What wrong have you done? You’re a fool with foolish blessings. The person you care about has such talent; I’m very happy,” she said, shaking her head. Seeing him still holding on, she put on a stern face and said, “The one who has offended others is me. So what? Can’t I admit my mistakes?”
Seventh Young Master remained silent, gripping his mother’s sleeve tightly.
Her tone softened a bit:
“If you go to apologize for me, it will cost you both your feelings. The more talented he is, the more valuable that feeling becomes; it’s not worth it.”
“If you go, it will cost me my face, and your face isn’t worth much.”
“Let go.”
Seventh Young Master didn’t release his grip.
He knew his mother cared most about her reputation.
She pulled her sleeve free from his grasp and looked at him with a light laugh.
“No matter how much I care about my reputation, is my face worth more than that immortal token in Zhang Zhenren’s hands?” Looking at her two children, she shook her head self-deprecatingly. “If my face were that valuable, my son wouldn’t have waited ten years for an immortal token.”
Watching her figure leave the small building, Seventh Young Master turned to his sister.
“Sister, why didn’t you stop her?” No matter how good his relationship with Zheng Fa was, he couldn’t bear to see his mother bow so low.
“Don’t stop her; you need to remember.”
“Remember what?”
“What use is the immortal token to Mother?”
Seventh Young Master was taken aback.
“What does Zhang Shijie’s favor matter? Can Zheng Fa really make Mother an immortal ancestor?”
“…”
“Even if she offends Zheng Fa, would he dare to kill her for your sake?”
“…”
“She’s apologizing not because her face isn’t worth much, but because compared to your future, her face isn’t worth much. She doesn’t want her past actions to affect your relationship with Zheng Fa, even if it’s just a little.” The eldest sister looked at her brother. “When you go to the Immortal Sect and find it hard, the cultivation exhausting, and the future bleak, remember today.”
Seventh Young Master looked at his sister and suddenly realized how much she had changed after ten years at Qingmu Sect.
…
Downstairs, Butler Wu watched the lady walk out of the small building, his expression as if the sky had fallen.
“Madam?”
His tone suggested he didn’t recognize the person before him.
“Do you know where Zheng Fa’s courtyard is?”
“Zheng Fa’s house?” Butler Wu pondered for a moment and replied, “I know.”
“Lead the way.”
“I’ll have someone prepare a carriage right away.”
“No need, we’ll walk. First, let’s circle around Zhao Manor.”
“Ah?”
…
“Zheng Fa! Something big has happened!”
Outside Zheng’s small courtyard, Gao Yuan shouted.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing his serious expression, Zheng Fa stepped out of the courtyard to ask.
“You don’t know? Today, the lady actually left her little building!”
“That’s it?” Zheng Fa thought the person was making a mountain out of a molehill.
“You don’t understand. The lady hasn’t left that building in twenty years… Think about it, if it weren’t for something big, why would she come out?”
Zheng Fa listened and felt there might be some truth to it.
“So what happened?”
“How would I know? Maybe some big shot is coming to Zhao Manor, or maybe it’s trouble with those courtesans.” Gao Yuan shrugged. “I just know that all the servants in the manor are working hard, afraid of being caught slacking by the lady. My father is so nervous he kicked me out, telling me to go pretend to be busy in Seventh Young Master’s study.”
“Then how did you end up here?”
“Seventh Young Master isn’t in the courtyard.” Gao Yuan explained, “But I saw the lady on the way; she looks really young.”
“Hmm…”
“Us younger servants haven’t seen her before. When I saw her, I couldn’t believe it. If you ask me, she looks like Seventh Young Master’s sister.”
“Hmm…”
“I think the lady isn’t going to the front courtyard; she must be meeting some important person… Who do you think it is?” Gao Yuan speculated with a curious expression.
“Me.”
“?”
“Yeah, she’s right behind you.”
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**Chapter 69: Support and Sabotage**
By now, it was nearing evening, the red sun hanging on the horizon, painting the clouds in shades of blush.
Under the evening glow, more people gathered around Zheng’s small courtyard.
The lady was accompanied only by Butler Wu, but further back, many Zhao family servants trailed behind her.
They were clever enough to notice that the lady not only didn’t mind them following but seemed to encourage it. Though they didn’t dare to get too close, they formed small clusters at a distance.
Some swept the ground, others trimmed branches, all keeping their eyes straight ahead, but their ears perked up.
Zheng Fa’s residence was in a relatively secluded part of Zhao Manor, and the surrounding flowers and trees had never been attended to by so many people. Suddenly, three people could gather around a single tree, and it still felt crowded.
Gao Yuan slowly turned his head, glancing at the lady less than ten feet away, and when he looked back at Zheng Fa, he nearly stuttered.
“Madam… didn’t hear what I said, right?”
“You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“The lady is a cultivator.”
“…”
“Don’t cry; you just praised her for looking young.”
Gao Yuan’s face turned pale, completely uncomforted.
Was the lady’s appearance something he could praise?
But as the lady walked past Gao Yuan, it was as if she didn’t see him, her gaze fixed on Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa still bowed first.
Unexpectedly, the lady also slightly returned the gesture.
Gao Yuan’s mouth dropped open, his earlier disappointment replaced by disbelief—he seemed less worried about the lady’s anger and more concerned that she had lost her mind.
The group of servants behind the lady stirred, unable to resist glancing this way.
“Madam, please come inside to talk.” Seeing the commotion, Zheng Fa directly said, stepping aside.
The lady paused, looked at Zheng Fa for a moment, and without saying a word, followed him into the small courtyard.
Zheng’s mother and younger sister stood in the courtyard, bowing to the lady, their expressions somewhat awkward.
The lady also stopped, sincerely returning their greeting.
This sudden and solemn respect left Zheng’s mother frozen, unsure where to place her hands, only murmuring, “How can this be? How can this be…”
Zheng Fa nodded reassuringly to his mother and led the lady to the main hall.
“I underestimated you.”
“Why do you say that, Madam?” Zheng Fa was puzzled as to why the lady opened with such a statement.
“Boys your age love to show off. I intended to cater to that, deliberately giving you this moment in front of so many servants, yet you seem unfazed and even invited me in.”
Whether it was the lady’s honesty or her intention to flatter Zheng Fa, her words, though slightly cunning, didn’t come off as too irritating.
“Hmm… I’m actually a bit happy,” Zheng Fa said after a moment of silence.
“Hmm?”
“Only because you’re Seventh Young Master’s mother.”
“Just for him? So you don’t want me to lose face?” Upon hearing this, a genuine smile finally appeared in the lady’s eyes.
“And also, when my father passed away, you gave ten taels of silver.”
This was something Zheng’s mother had always mentioned.
Regardless of the reason behind the lady’s gift, it came at a time when the Zheng family was struggling. Zheng Fa was still young, and their situation had plummeted.
That ten taels of silver, to put it dramatically, saved the lives of three people.
The lady’s expression softened, and her gaze toward Zheng Fa became serious.
She understood the meaning behind his words—
Back then, you thought I was hard to control, that scaring me would make me submit; you underestimated me.
Now you think that having gained power, I’ve become arrogant and ungrateful; you underestimate me even more.
After looking at Zheng Fa for a long time, she sighed, “Should I say you remain unperturbed by honor and disgrace, or that you’re even prouder than I thought? If fools have foolish blessings, then Zhao Jingfan must be a fool for eight lifetimes to have met you.”
“…”
She seemed to have shed the pretense of caution she had when she arrived, clapping her hands.
Butler Wu stepped forward, holding a box.
When the box opened, it revealed a stack of contracts.
The lady pulled out the top three sheets.
“These are your family’s freedom contracts. I’ve instructed Butler Wu to go to the government office tomorrow to cancel your servitude.”
This was only right.
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