Author: Vanilla Muse

Thank you to an anonymous reader for the coffee~ ^-^

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Chapter 77.1 – Judgment

Hearing this voice, An Chang De and his wife’s legs went soft in a split second.
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Some time ago, they heard that An Zi Ran married a wang ye. And that wang ye killed the prefectural magistrate of Yong Province, Jiang Zhong Ting, for him. With that one move, it got rid of An Chang De’s backer.

At that time, neither of them believed it. Their first reaction was to brush it aside as rumors.

How could An Zi Ran be so lucky as to marry such a high-ranking wang ye? Fu Wu Tian forbid people from talking about the incident that happened in the An manor, so no one dared to go out and leak the story. It wasn’t until news of Jiang Zhong Ting’s death and news of Liu Fei Hong and his men’s beheading spread did An Chang De and his wife finally believe that An Zi Ran married a wang ye.

Then, fearing retaliation, the two of them set aside their evil intentions, and dared not go out again. They stayed at home all day trembling with fear, scared that An Zi Ran would bring that wang ye to their door to flex his new powers and make things hard for them.

How could they know that An Zi Ran never placed any importance on them? His psychological age was not that of a bratty teenager.

However, those two only remained quiet for a short period of time.

It wasn’t even a month before they started getting restless with bad intentions again.

They heard that An Zi Ran wanted to take most of the An family members with him to settle in Jun Zi City, and they started to entertain certain thoughts. With An Chang De’s reputation in tatters, they could no longer stay in An Yuan County. If they move to Jun Zi City then they would have opportunities to get close to the upper class and make friends with them. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to climb up the ladder.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
However, they had yet to state their purpose and An Zi Ran already ordered people to throw them out. In front of so many people, they lost all face*.

[*T/N: “Face” is a Chinese concept with nuance meanings. Example: respect, reputation, dignity, etc.]

The most frightening part was that they thought that Fu Wu Tian would not come back until five p.m. This was what they found out after making inquiries. Who knew that he would come back early?

An Chang De and his wife turned around with fear and trepidation. They were immediately met with Fu Wu Tian’s dark and fathomless black eyes. Backlit by the sun, his eyes seem even darker and more frightening. There was a hint of coldness and cruelty in his eyes. It was like a knife upon the their old faces. Their skin felt hot, almost giving them the illusion that the flesh of their faces were being scraped off.

Fu Wu Tian’s figure was very tall, more than a head higher than An Chang De. His huge shadow shrouded the two older people, and the pressure instantly multiplied.

Only by supporting each other did the two manage not to embarrass themselves in public.

Wu Zhi swallowed and squeezed out a stiff smile. Stuttering, she said, “Wang… wang ye, you heard wrong… no one was swearing at Zi Ran…”

“You’re calling wang fei by name?” Fu Wu Tian’s face was expressionless and indifferent.

An Chang De and his wife immediately bent over. “Wang ye is very right, wang fei’s name cannot be mentioned negligently. In the future we won’t dare to say wang fei’s honored name again. Wang ye, you are great and magnanimous, you won’t quibble with us small common folk, right?”

Fu Wu Tian stared at their monkey-like movements for a long while, until the two couldn’t help but raise their heads, but they ran into this icy stare and only heard him say coldly, “Qian An.”

“Your subordinate is here.” Ge Qian An stepped forward.

“Take them to the government office for me, and have Zhang He deal with them.”

“Yes, wang ye!”

An Chang De and his wife’s expressions changed dramatically. This wang ye was even crueler than An Zi Ran. They didn’t even exchange two words and he wanted to send them to the government office? Was he planning to imprison them?

Ge Qian An effortlessly took one of them in each hand.

“Let me go, you can’t do this, I am An Zi Ran’s big aunt…”

An Chang De and his wife were so scared that they couldn’t be bother to worry about their image anymore and they screamed loudly, especially Wu Zhi. Their voices were very shrill. The onlookers all perked up their ears, but no one sympathized with them.

It would definitely not be a good thing for them if they ended up in Zhang He’s hands, because that man knew what they did before. It would be easy to produce evidence of their deeds, but even without evidence, they wouldn’t be able to escape.

Zheng He already guessed that Fu Wu Tian was getting ready to promote him, so he was even more eager to please him. This time the An Chang De couple fell within his target circle.

The sounds of their screaming faded away quickly and could not be heard anymore.

The news that An Chang De and his wife were sent to the government office soon spread.

Not long after, their children also heard the news. An Yao Zong didn’t care about enjoying the beautiful spring scenery* anymore and ran helter-skelter back home.

[*T/N: idiom for frequenting brothels]

“Brother, I heard that father and mother has been locked up in the government office’s prison, is this true?”

An Xue Yan threw herself at her brother as soon as he entered the door. Her pretty face was already full of panic. Their father and mother were the pillars of the family. She could hardly imagine what they should do after they’re imprisoned.

An Yao Zong was also out of his wits. He didn’t know what to do at all.

Should he go to Zhang He and beg him to let their parents go? He heard that their parents were personally ordered into prison by that wang ye son-in-law. Without the backing of the prefectural magistrate of Yong Province, there was no way that Zhang He would listen to them.

“Yao Zong? Xue Yan? What is going on with you two? Did something happen?”

At this time, a voice came in from the outside.

When they turned their heads to look they saw An Ming Rui escorting his mother, Zhang Wan Qin, inside. These two rarely ventured out, so they didn’t know about the situation concerning An Chang De and his wife.

An Yao Zong snorted and was about to say ‘it has nothing to do with you,’ but seeing An Ming Rui’s calm face a light bulb went on in his head and he thought of a good method.

“My father offended An Zi Ran. Right now, he is being held in prison.”

“What?” Zhang Wan Qin turned pale with fright. “What happened? How could Chang De be imprisoned in the government office jail? Could there be some misunderstanding?”

“Mother, don’t be agitated.” An Ming Rui rubbed her back.

An Yao Zong revealed a look of resentment. “There’s no misunderstanding. When I heard the news I couldn’t believe it. Only after I made inquires did I confirm it. Father really is locked in prison. Really can’t believe that An Zi Ran is so cruel. Once he achieved meteoric success he quickly fell out with us and became hostile.”

Although Zhang Wan Qin often stayed at home, she also heard about this news. “What should we do then? Do we go beg County Magistrate Zhang to release your father?”

An Yao Zong said slowly, “It’s useless. County Magistrate Zhang only listens to the An family’s gu ye. No matter how we beg him, he will not release Father. Unless…”

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Chapter 76.2 – Husband and Wife Comes to Visit

When he heard the news, even An Zi Ran could not help but be shocked for a moment.
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“They are in the main hall right now?”

Su Zi replied, “They insisted on coming in. The servants couldn’t stop them. Young Master, do you want me to have people escort them back out?”

He knew that the young master did not want to see them anymore. He didn’t like the two people either. Their skin was way too thick. They already had an acrimonious falling-out, yet they dared to come back.

“No need. Let’s go see what they want.”

……

“What work do you people do for your food? Why aren’t you coming over here to pour tea for this lord?” An Chang De sat in a chair, screaming commands at the An family servants to serve them. He was completely regarding himself as the owner of the family.

A few of the servants looked at each other.

These weren’t new employees that have just been recruited but the family. They could still clearly recall the scene of these two people falling out with the young master. It wasn’t even that long ago, but these people had the gall to come to their doorstep, and even regard themselves as masters of the house? Are they sick in the brain?

Wu Zhi looked at their actions and smiled coldly. “How come the An family servants are getting more and more unruly, not even putting their masters in their eyes. Don’t think that just because we lost our power, we are no longer influential. We are still An Zi Ran’s uncle and aunt.”

“That’s right!” An Chang De sneered.

When the couple first heard that the An family’s son-in-law cruelly killed Jiang Zhong Ting, they pissed their pants in terror. But after a long stretch of time, An Zi Ran still did not come to them to settle accounts, so they went from apprehensive to calm. In the end, they even lost all fear.
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They thought that An Zi Ran didn’t dare to do anything to them, because despite their falling out, their relationship of blood was indelible.

And just like this, the two of them made up a bunch of stuff in their heads.

In the end, they came to this mystical conclusion.

The day before yesterday, they heard that the An family was moving to Jun Zi City in a few days. The two thought about it and felt that if they could go along with An Zi Ran to the capital then they would meet more powerful people, so they rushed over.

When An Zi Ran entered the great hall, he saw An Chang De and Wu Zhi disciplining the servants. He couldn’t help but blink in a stupor. These people really thought of themselves as masters in this house.

After An Chang De’s reputation got dragged through the mud, An Zi Ran did not intend to pay attention to them anymore. As long as the couple wised up in the future and no longer provoked him, he was willing to let them off for the sake of this body he took over. Instead, they showed up at his door and did not know how to exercise any restraint at all.

Wu Zhi was the first one to notice An Zi Ran’s arrival. Her expression changed to one of surprise. Then she came over and said enthusiastically, “This aunt’s good nephew, you finally came out.”

“What did the two of you come here for?”

An Zi Ran stood without going inside the great hall. His cold eyes swept over the faces of the two.

The smile on Wu Zhi’s face suddenly became stiff.

An Chang De walked over and said, “Zi Ran, what is this attitude of yours? We are still your uncle and aunt. If Chang Fu knew that you were treating your elders with this kind of attitude he would roll over in his grave.”

Asides from An Zi Ran, this sentence elicited snickers from everyone else.

Even if the master were to roll over in his grave, it wouldn’t be due to the young master. They were obviously gunning for the An family’s assets, yet they dared to appear before the An family, and even used this kind of tone to talk to the young master. Were they really that thick skinned, or were they really taking themselves seriously?

Su Zi sneered impolitely.

An Chang De’s eyes narrowed. “What are you laughing at? No propriety at all.”

Su Zi spoke sarcastically, “If I remember correctly, you two seem to have nothing to do with the An family. Please don’t pretend to be a master of the An family anymore. Otherwise, you really will anger our master so much that he’ll roll over in his grave. You could even say such words without feeling ashamed.”

“You!” An Chang De was angered to the point that his complexion turned ashen.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
“You are but a servant. You have no right to interject.” Wu Zhi glared at him. After she said this, she turned to An Zi Ran, “Zi Ran, auntie is not reprimanding you, but servants can’t be indulged. Otherwise, they will only become more and more arrogant, and not even treat the master as the master.”

“Su Zi.”

Su Zi heard his name and hurriedly said, “Young Master, what is your command?”

An Zi Ran looked at An Chang De and Wu Zhi until their scalps went numb. “Throw them out and don’t allow them to step into the house again.”

Su Zi’s voice immediately rose, “Yes, Young Master!”

An Change De’s face changed dramatically.

Not long after, Su Zi, along with three other servants, threw An Chang De and Wu Zhi out of the front door. They did not hold back at all, straightforwardly tossing the couple out. The two fell onto their bums outside the front door.

“An Zi Ran, you god damn f*cking parentless bastard!”

Wu Zhi was so angry that her face had become distorted.

Su Zi snorted and wanted to refute with a sentence, when his eyes fell behind Wu Zhi.

Wu Zhi suddenly felt a chill at her back. She was just about to turn around when a chilling voice sounded behind the two of them.

“Who is swearing at this prince’s wang fei?”

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Chapter 76.1 – Husband and Wife Comes to Visit

Twenty-seventh year of Chong Ming. May 20^th. Overcast.

Drought still broke out in Chang Province. Not a single drop of rain fell since the beginning of the year, but this was not the main cause of the drought. The most important thing was the problem of soil erosion and serious vegetation damage.
Translations by vmnovels(.)com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.
The Chong Ming Emperor did not care about the situation in Chang Province, and the officials in Chang Province just used their power to seek private gains. Even if there were money allocated for the betterment of the Chang Province, those officials in their cushy seats would just swallow the money and split it among themselves. As a result, the problem was never solved, and the situation grew worse year by year.

After the drought broke out, everyone’s eyes turned from the royal family to Fu Wu Tian, whom they heard had been ordered by the emperor to take care of the disaster in Chang Province.

Although they knew that the jun wang was not a simple person, those greedy officials in Chang Province have been blinded by the luster of money and were still eyeing the relief funds with covetous gazes. Some merchants in Chang Province have begun raising prices, waiting for the jun wang to buy their rice. But the outcome was beyond their expectations.

Droughts were often accompanied by locust calamity.

Especially in Yi Ping Town. The same situation happened many years ago.

This year, it was predicted that Yi Ping Town was likely to have another locust disaster. There were always signs preceding the calamity of a locust swarm. It could be detected through careful observation. At that time, Yi Ping Town would be hit the hardest.

However, contrary to their expectation, after the outbreak of the drought, not even a shadow could be seen of the so-called locust disaster. Although Yi Ping Town still suffered from drought, the situation was much better than before. The people of Yi Ping Town not only did not have another large-scale migration, but they were also very calm and quiet.

Many businessmen and officials felt that something was wrong. Only after investigating did they find out that the jun wang’s subordinated have already entered Chang Province and were providing congee to relieve the victims.

Not only that, after all the common folk were temporarily settled, the jun wang issued a series of orders.

For example, people who work would have food to eat.

The royal family could feed them for a while, but they couldn’t feed they for a lifetime, and if the drought in Chang Province was not resolved at the fundamental level, this kind of thing was bound to happen again in the future.

Since the drought was caused by soil erosion, then they would start tackling the problem from this point.
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The focus of An Zi Ran’s plan for Fu Wu Tian was how to control soil erosion. Asides from this, there were other problems that also required attention.

Much of the drought in Chang Province was caused by the fragile water conservancy facilities and the inability to conserve water resources, leading to fields that could not be harvested year after year. Some crops, like rice, had a very large demand for water. Once water shortage caused the fields to lose harvest, famine was likely to follow.

Every year in Chang Province, many people died. The people have long been desperate for relief from the Da Ya Empire. This year, Fu Wu Tian’s appearance has brought them hope.

Old people, children, and women could get food without having to work hard, but the young and strong must contribute. Those with a serious and positive attitude towards work could even get double the amount of food. This type of reward stimulated many young people, and even enticed some women to join the work force.

This good development trend caused the businessmen in Chang Province to panic.

Some businessmen were not as keen as An Zi Ran.

But they had ‘experience.’ It was foreseeable that drought would occur in Chang Province. Therefore, these merchants started stocking up food before the drought, all for the moment when they could seek more profits.

However, the jun wang was prepared long ahead of time. Large amounts of grain were continuously transported from Hong Province to Chang Province, and there was no need to buy food from them.

Well, that was great. All the grains that they had accumulated could not be sold. What do they do now?

They could only decrease the cost of their rice back to the original price, but even so, their rice could not be sold. They only had themselves to blame for being too black hearted and hoping to take advantage of the common folk.

The merchants finally panicked.

A lot of rice was piled up in their warehouses. If they couldn’t sell it, then it was very likely to grow moldy or become old rice. At that point, the price would just continue to decrease. They would lose all their investments.

All day long hitting wild geese, only to be pecked by wild geese!
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
This sentence perfectly described these businessmen in Chang Province.

Compared with them, An Zi Ran who went through the back door and used his connection with Fu Wu Tian earned a lot of money.

An Ke Xin was married, and Zheng Bi also moved into the new house. Their attention was no longer concentrated on the An family. Now, asides from the fourth concubine, who was at the moment keeping within the boundary of her role, the An family have finally quieted down.

The things in Chang Province have been carried out albeit in a somewhat unsteady manner. There was no need for Fu Wu Tian to supervise everything. An Zi Ran also handed over the affairs of An Yuan County to Steward Su, so the matter of returning to Jun Zi City was put on the agenda.

But the day before they were about to leave, two unexpected people came to the door.

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Bonus update! Brought to you by all the wonderful readers who encouraged me through ko-fi. o( ´͈ ᗨ `͈ )o

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Chapter 75.2 – To Assist

“How are the preparations for Yi Ping Town in Chang Province?” An Zi Ran asked.
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“Thanks to wang fei’s blessing, I have been receiving complaints from my soldiers these pass few days.”

Fu Wu Tian looked at him jokingly. At first, he did not expect his wang fei to make such a request. Although it was very strange, it was very reasonable once he thought about it carefully.

The best way to prevent locust plagues was to introduce the enemy of locusts, such as frogs, lizards, birds, etc. Raising chickens and ducks was also a possibility.

But this was a very big project.

So Fu Wu Tian sent his soldiers to Chang Province and had them help the local populace. For families who were better off, they helped them raise chickens and ducks, and for poorer families, they helped them catch frogs and lizards and such.

An Zi Ran did not answer. There was another viable method for pest control and that was the use of biological pesticides, but the prerequisite for such a method was not available in this backward time and space. Even if he knew how to configure a pesticide to kill mites, the conditions here did not support the development of such a method, so he did not speak out.

But this was only the beginning.

There were still many things to do in order to change the natural disasters that occur frequently in the Chang Province.

This wasn’t the kind of thing that could be done overnight. Only with time could they gradually progress the place.

Fu Wu Tian picked up a document from the legal case and handed it to him. “This is a detailed report about Chang Province. There are three places where major disasters are found. Yi Ping town is just one of them.”

An Zi Ran took the official document and read it over.

The time for harvesting rice already began, but Chang Province had almost no grain output. Most of the crops in the fields have died due to lack of water, which caused many field to be left to return to unchecked growth. This phenomenon had already occurred in many places in Chang Province.

Only after getting deeper into the matter did they know that the disastrous situation in Chang Province was actually more serious than imagined.

“Wang fei, it seems that the rice you collected will finally come in handy.”

An Zi Ran closed up the official document and looked at Fu Wu Tian through narrowed eyes. “What price does wang ye intend to give for the rice? Let me warn you ahead of time, I will not sell if the price is too low.” Doing business with Fu Wu Tian did not require politeness.

The previous corruption case was sensationalized all throughout Da Ya. Fu Wu Tian caught many corrupted officials. These people were greedy for money, but that was only a part of it. There were also some businessmen who did bad things for riches. Many of these people were the rice merchants of Hong Province. At this moment when everyone was at risk, the rice merchants in Hong Province simply did not dare to raise the price of rice at will.

Fu Wu Tian said indulgently, “Whatever price wang fei names will be the price. This prince will pay it.”

An Zi Ran said, “Wang ye is rich and imposing.”

“Thank you wang fei for the compliment!”

…
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…

In the afternoon, the two of them left the county office early and returned to the An manor.

Steward Su had already sent all the items written on the dowry list to the new house in accordance to instructions. A portion of the servants has also moved to the new place.

An Zi Ran did not intend to bring everyone to Jun Zi City, and one of those people was Steward Su.

Among all the people in the An family, Steward Su was his most trusted person. There needed to be someone who could stand in for An Zi Ran here in An Yuan County. Only Steward Su was competent enough to fill this post. His son, Su Zi, has only just started to touch the business side of the An family, so he was not qualified enough yet.

“Young Master…”

Steward Su had an expression of not being able to part from the young master.

An Zi Ran stopped the rest of his words. “Steward, there is actually a lot of important considerations for leaving you in An Yuan County. Those matters need to be handled by you personally.” As he said this, he went to the cabinet and took out the rice noodle shop plan that he drafted a couple of days ago. “Take a look. After An Ke Xin gets married, I will return to Jun Zi City. This plan can only he implemented by you.”

Steward Su’s eyebrows rose in astonishment. “I understand, Young Master.”

An Zi Ran was relieved to hear him say so.

“Young Master, there is one more thing, how do you plan to deal with the fourth concubine?” Steward Su abruptly thought of this problem. The matter with the third concubine has already been resolved, and the second concubine ran off with her daughter. That left only the fourth concubine.

An Zi Ran went silent.

Steward Su said worriedly, “Young Master, the fourth concubine is still the master’s wife. It’s not very appropriate to take her along to Jun Zi City. Wouldn’t it be better to leave her in An Yuan County?”

An Zi Ran shook his head. “I am preparing to take her with me.”

Wang Qing Lan was currently his main suspect. Furthermore, she was a very smart woman. Leaving her in An Yuan County would only make him more worried. If she played her tricks then Steward Su would definitely not be good enough to oppose her. Compared to the second and third concubine, Wang Qing Lan needed more attention.

Steward Su knew that once the young master made up his mind he would not change it.

An Ke Xin’s wedding day was fast approaching.

The fifteenth day of the fifth month was a very auspicious day. In Da Ya, the fifteenth of every month held the meaning of happiness and union of the family.

On this day, the new house of the An family was lit up with lights, and servants bustled back and forth. It was very busy.

Early in the morning, the marriage procession came to the door of the new An family house. At the helm was the bridegroom Lin Xin. His chubby face was glossy with oil, and he was smiling so much that his eyes were almost squinted shut.

Supported by the wedding matron and a maidservant, the bride, An Ke Xin, came out.

When Lin Xin saw her, he was so excited he couldn’t wait to jump off his horse. But because he was so fat, the action was awkward. Fortunately, the little helper following from behind helped hold him up, otherwise he would’ve made a fool of himself in public.

Lin Xin walked excitedly over to the bride.

An Zi Ran glanced at him and said, “From henceforth you are responsible for my little sister.”

Lin Xin nodded right away. “Brother-in-law, please rest assured. I will definitely take good care of Ke Xin.” As he spoke, he and the wedding matron helped the bride to the wedding sedan.

Then the wedding procession set off to the vigorous beating of drums.

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Thank you to Krissi for the coffee! You’ve also topped up the coffee counter this time with your support, so tomorrow we’ll have a bonus chapter of TBL. Yay!

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Chapter 75.1 – To Assist

The next morning, An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian got up early as usual.
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No one found out that the two have finally consummated their marriage and thus truly became a married couple. As for the so-called filial period, for the two husbands, one was a soul from the twenty-first century, and the other one’s three views were not normal. To them, the filial period was never within their scope of thinking.

Today was the day that An Ke Xin moved to another house to prepare for the marriage.

The other house was smaller, only about half the size of the An manor. It couldn’t house that many people, so An Zi Ran planned to have An Ke Xin and her mother move there first.

“Careful, these are this lady’s dowry. If you break it, you can’t afford it.” An Ke Xin’s high-pitched voice came to them from the front hall.

When An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian walked over, they saw her standing on the steps and commanding the servants as they moved the betrothal gifts that the Lin family sent over from before. That day she had a face of one who would rather die than get marry, but now it has changed.

“Be more mindful.”

Zheng Bi stood beside her daughter. Her expression was as pleased as punch. After she finished speaking, she saw An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian coming over.

An Ke Xin also took notice. Don’t know what she was thinking, but she suddenly gave Zheng Bi a look with hidden meaning.

Zheng Bi immediately walked up to them and said with a smile, “Zi Ran, ah. In a few more days it will be Ke Xin’s wedding. About the dowry list, are you done writing it yet?”

An Zi Ran glanced at them. From the folds of his clothes, he took out the list that he had long finished writing and handed it to An Ke Xin. “I’ve already appointed Steward Su to manage everything. Bring the Lin family’s betrothal gift and go to the new house first. In the afternoon, Steward Su will send your dowry over.”

Zheng Bi couldn’t wait to take the list and look over it.

An Ke Xin also wanted to see how much dowry the An family was giving her.

Zheng Bi took a look at the list, folded it back up, and said with dissatisfaction, “Why isn’t there even a single estate or land property? When the master was alive I remember him saying he would give Ke Xin some property as dowry when she gets married.”
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An estate or land was classified as immovable property. It was something one kept for a lifetime. It was not like jewelry or money, when you use those up they would be gone. Although she was a woman, she still understood this. She thought An Zi Ran would give a few pieces of estate or land as dowry.

An Zi Ran said, “You also know that that was when my father was alive.”

“That’s your father’s last wish, how could you just brush it aside?” Zheng Bi was a little angry. She was hoping to get some land from the An family when her daughter got married.

“Whether my father said it or not when he was alive, right now the head of the household is I. If you’re truly not satisfied, I can re-make a new dowry list.” An Zi Ran looked at her with dark eyes and spoke calmly.

An Ke Xin was just about to vocalize her dissatisfaction.

Zheng Bi hurriedly stopped her. “No, we are very satisfied, very satisfied, no need to re-make it.”

An Ke Xin didn’t understand why her mother suddenly changed her attitude. Before she could open her mouth she was taken away. The mother and daughter pair began to whisper.

“Wang fei, you’re being really good to this mother and daughter.”

Looking at their departing backs, Fu Wu Tian suddenly said this into his ear.

An Zi Ran withdrew his gaze. “How am I being really good to them?”

Fu Wu Tian said, “Although you didn’t give any land, you did give some real estate. Is this not good enough already?”

An Zi Ran’s lips curved lightly. “Some people like to do themselves to death. Even if I don’t meddle, in the end they would not have a good outcome. Why should I waste time on two insignificant women?”

Fu Wu Tian stared at the smiling expression on his lips. It seemed like this was the first time he saw wang fei smile. In a flash, he thought An Zi Ran was as gentle as jade. A few years later, this feeling might become more obvious.

“Wang fei, you really do have inner beauty.”

“…”

This phrase “inner beauty” was actually not very useful.

At the county office, An Zi Ran finally had the opportunity to see Fu Wu Tian at work. Unlike what he usually saw, the atmosphere of the whole person was a little cold. He was not like an ordinary military personnel, all muscles and no brains. On the contrary, his IQ was very high, and he often times hit the nail right on the head.

Because he only stayed in An Yuan County, all the messengers had to go to him to report.

However, Fu Wu Tian did not go to the office every day, so some of the unimportant official documents were handed over to County Magistrate Zhang. At first, County Magistrate Zhang didn’t dare complete the work in place of Fu Wu Tian. He was only a small county magistrate, how could he dare to look at official documents meant for the prefectural magistrate’s eyes only?

As a result, the official documents accumulated more and more. County Magistrate Zhang was a workaholic. Unable to stand by idly and watch, he finally took up the work boldly. Unless it was something he wasn’t qualified to make decisions for, he would handle everything himself.

“You’re not planning to support County Magistrate Zhang are you?”

An Zi Ran heard that County Magistrate Zhang had been helping Fu Wu Tian with the official documents during this time. He immediately thought of the empty prefectural magistrate seat. Everyone was eyeing this position, so it was hard to decide whom to put in that seat. Someone without a proper background was likely to be ousted not after long, and someone with a background would be closely monitored by others.

Fu Wu Tian explained, “This Zhang He may seem like a small time county magistrate, but he actually has ambitions. Except his background is not sturdy enough. So he always stayed within An Yuan County as a small county magistrate. Why do you think he targeted An Chang De? It was because he was aiming for Jiang Zhong Ting who was backing him.”

Unfortunately, Jiang Zhong Ting turned out to be bad goods.

Zhang He realized this and withdrew in time.

“Can he resist those pressures?” An Zi Ran asked skeptically. Getting mixed up in bureaucracy was not good, especially in Da Ya’s current state.

The Chong Ming Emperor was incompetent. In contrast, his princes were all very outstanding and each of them were ambitious. In order to increase the bargaining chips in their hands they would use any means possible. If Zhang He became the prefectural magistrate of Hong Province, no one would try to entice him to their side, because he would be labeled with Fu Wu Tian’s name already. At that time, they would only make things difficult for him.

Fu Wu Tian said with great irresponsibility, “This prince is only providing him with an opportunity, whether or not he can stability hold his post on top would be up to his capabilities.”

An Zi Ran no longer continues the conversation. If their positions were reversed, he would also do the same thing. Only those who could withstand the pressure would be able to accomplish great things. These types of talents were worth drawing to one’s side, so this was not only an opportunity for Zhang He, but also a test for him.

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Chapter 74.2 – Different from Ordinary People

Fu Wu Tian, who had recovered his strength, got out of bed, put on his clothes, and walked out of the room. When he came back, he had a large bucket of hot water. He carried it on his shoulder. His great strength was evident.
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An Zi Ran heard the sound of water and was a little surprised.

After tossing him for so long, there was still strength? However, thinking that they only did it once tonight, he was relieved. Fu Wu Tian was a man in his prime. He was strong and energetic, plus he was a martial artist, so his endurance was higher than regular people.

The bed curtains were parted and a cool breeze came in.

An Zi Ran frowned and was about to pull the blanket over his body. In the next second he was picked up and hugged. He was shocked. “Let me down. I will go myself.”

Fu Wu Tian said seriously, “There are no outsiders right now. You don’t have to worry about being seen.”

This was not a matter of whether there were outsiders or not!

An Zi Ran calmed his features.

Fu Wu Tian had already taken him over to the tub of water. It was only a few dozen paces away, so along with the man’s relatively long strides, the distance was reduced to but a few steps. To resist anymore would be pointless.

The tub was only big enough for one person. Fu Wu Tian put him in the water.

The hot water warmed his body and drove away some of the fatigue. An Zi Ran let out a comfortable sigh. Fu Wu Tian scooped up some water and poured it across his shoulders. An Zi Ran turned his head and said, “I’ll wash myself, you just clean up yourself.”

“Is wang fei inviting this prince to wash up together?”

An Zi Ran immediately shut up.

Once the two of them calmed down, the only sound left in the room was the sound of water.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
After washing off his limbs, An Zi Ran wanted to clean out the thing that Fu Wu Tian shot into his body, but… he looked at Fu Wu Tian who was still staring at him. If he told him to leave, he might not go. An Zi Ran lowered his eyes and said, “I have a question I want to ask you.”

“What question?” Fu Wu Tian continued to pour water over An Zi Ran’s body with his hands.

“Do you still remember our agreement from before our marriage?”

Fu Wu Tian stilled. “Oh… there was such a thing?”

An Zi Ran: “…”

After seeing his rogue move, he discovered that he could still take it to the next level. He should have guessed that Fu Wu Tian’s behavior towards him wasn’t someone who was preparing to let him leave. He actually cheated from the beginning. He was pretending to agree to his conditions, but he never put it in his heart at all!

“Why?”

Why did he choose him? He still couldn’t understand this question.

An Yu Zhi fled marriage. That should’ve been a good excuse for Fu Wu Tian to refuse to fulfill the marriage contract between the two families. This way, he wouldn’t have to marry a woman he didn’t love for the sake of his predecessor’s promise. But he didn’t do that. Instead he had An Zi Ran substitute as the bride.

Even if he was naturally homosexual that did not mean that he had to choose An Zi Ran.

There was silence for a long time. Just when An Zi Ran thought he would not answer, Fu Wu Tian’s mellow voice sounded, but the answer was beyond his expectations.

“At first, it was just curiosity.”

An Zi Ran heard his own voice asked, “Curious about what?”

Fu Wu Tian’s hand suddenly came over and lightly lifted An Zi Ran’s chin. The darkness of his eyes became deeper. “I was curious about how a person could change so drastically, from inside to outside, and from top to bottom. So this prince started to become interested in you. Then I found out a lot of things about you.”

“Just for this reason, you had me substitute as the bride?” An Zi ran felt that Fu Wu Tian was treating marriage too lightly. He didn’t have much choice at first because of his elders, but afterwards he evidently took the initiative.

Fu Wu Tian heard the dissatisfaction in his words, but he answered in an unconcerned tone, “In our later interactions, this prince discovered that you are a book worth tasting…”

“Vulgar metaphor.”

“Don’t be like this, wang fei, it’s rare for this prince to express emotion.”

“Get to the main point!”

“Fine. The main point is, this prince thinks that it was worth it to marry you. This prince really likes your ‘inner beauty,’ so I never felt regret.”

“…Inner beauty?” An Zi Ran was incredulous. Did Fu Wu Tian really say that?

Fu Wu Tian nodded, “Yes, your ‘inner beauty.’”

An Zi Ran finally understood, but there was still one thing he did not get. “Because you became interested in me, so you married me, then are you actually bisexual?”

“Huh? Bisexual?”

“It means you like both women and men.”

Fu Wu Tian understood his meaning. He looked at An Zi Ran and said, “Man or woman doesn’t matter to this prince, but aren’t all men like this?”

An Zi Ran was stumped.

All men are like this? Was he too antiquated, or was this world’s ideology very progressive? Or maybe Fu Wu Tian’s understanding of men and women was outside of the circle of normal people?

He suddenly had an intuition that it was the third misconception.

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