Chapter 365: Unmoved by Praise or Blame

Chapter 365: Unmoved by Praise or Blame

Grand Princess Baina and the former emperor sneaked into Lord Zhongwu's residence with secrecy more tightly sealed than the ice of a northern winter.

Apart from the Qiao family and a few parties involved, no one knew.

Grand Princess Baina opened the windows and doors of the pavilion in the center of the lake and specifically instructed Qiao Fangzhi, "Lord Qiao, if one more person knows about this, it will not be good for Xianjin, the Qiao family, or the royal clans."

Qiao Fangzhi said, "Naturally."

If Xianjin acknowledges her heritage, everything will fall into place naturally. But Xianjin said "no," so her identity had to be hidden.

Now that Grand Princess Baina had just resolved external threats, internal concerns were only just being addressed.

Qiao Fangzhi saw the Grand Princess to the door.

The Grand Princess put on her veil and wrapped herself in a dark cloak, then casually remarked with raised eyes, "We can tell Mr. Chen about this matter."

Qiao Fangzhi leaned on his cane, moved his mouth, and his mustache twitched.

The Grand Princess added, "I've met him. He was willing to be cut by a blade to buy time for Xianjin to escape. He seems unruly, but in fact, he acts with method—Xianjin acknowledges only him, not the Xu family. Perhaps having him persuade Xianjin might yield unexpected results."

Qiao Fangzhi was awestruck.

Truly astounding.

A military strategist, cunning and ruthless. You only acknowledge this father? Very well, we'll have this father persuade you, and perhaps you'll acknowledge that father too. A master of twisted logic.

Qiao Fangzhi nodded in agreement.

The former emperor, now Lord Xiaowang, walked past Qiao Fangzhi with red, lifeless eyes from behind the Grand Princess.

Qiao Fangzhi glanced at him sideways.

Ah, the former emperor.

It's possible that by then your daughter will be calling me 'father,' while you still haven't earned a proper glance!

The night slipped away unnoticed.

A teacher for life is like a second father. In the following years, it was very likely that Qiao Fangzhi would practically be a father. Understanding the situation, he deliberately summoned people from the North Courtyard to inquire carefully.

Mother Zhang was very anxious. "Yesterday, she only had two bowls of rice and one duck leg with the sour radish duck soup! It worried me to death!"

Qiao Fangzhi: ?

He didn't know how many ducks would fall victim when his beloved disciple was in good spirits.

Suo'er was also anxious. "She seems off. She didn’t do her Eight Pieces of Brocade yesterday morning!" She paused. "So, she did a full set of Tai Chi before bed instead."

Qiao Fangzhi: ?

His disciplined disciple, who values self-discipline, was truly admirable.

The newly transferred outer court maid, Qian Hong, thought about it and realized there wasn't much to report. But it seemed like not reporting anything would make her work appear insufficient, so she said loudly, "In the past few days, Miss He hasn't been sleeping much. She woke up at the first crow of the rooster every morning! Usually, she sleeps until late in the morning!"

Suo'er glared angrily: "How dare you call the student lazy in front of the teacher! Damn spy!"

Suo'er opened her mouth and scolded, "Nonsense! When has Miss He slept until late in the morning! She wakes up with the crowing of the rooster every day and writes essays in the middle of the night!"

She immediately turned her head to look at Qiao Fangzhi, flattering him with a smile, her eyes narrowed to slits, "Director Qiao, don't worry! Miss He has always been diligent, even dreaming about reciting essays!"

Qiao Fangzhi painfully closed his eyes.

Seeing his cherished student eat well, sleep soundly, and manage her affairs, he felt at peace.

Qiao's father was at ease, calm and composed;

Chen's father was in a frantic rush, anxious and flustered.

Upon hearing the secret report from Qiao Hui, Chen Fu immediately returned with Qiao Hui from among the red leaves. As soon as they came back, they rushed into the North Courtyard, and Chen Fu patiently waited until Xianjin had dismissed her attendants, closed the doors and windows, ensuring everyone was far away. Only then did Chen Fu tearfully wail loudly.

"Why didn't she tell me!? Why didn't she tell me about these things!?"

"I met her in Qingzhou, where she was preparing a banquet for a farmer's family in Shili Village. Her clothes were tattered and her face disheveled, but she was spirited and capable! She made an imitation crab-flavored tofu that tasted unmistakably like her own!"

"The family hosting the banquet was disgraceful! They insisted on charging your mother four copper coins, claiming she secretly ate the corn buns from the banquet table! To escape, your mother had to either make you vomit to check for the white flour bun or pay four fewer copper coins, pretending it never happened!"

"Your mother refused! She slammed a butcher's knife on the chopping block, overturned the table still being eaten from, grabbed the head of the household by the collar, and said she didn't want the wages, but he had to publicly apologize to you..."

Chen Fu cried loudly, "She suffered so much before, why didn't she say anything! I knew she had a hard life! But I didn't realize it was this hard! When she was still alive, why couldn't I have been kinder to her? Why was I so hung up on whether she loved me or not!"

"All this love nonsense... what good did it do! The fact that she survived was miracle enough!"

Chen Fu slapped himself, "I was really useless before!"

Xianjin also bowed her head and wiped her tears, "I was useless too. Before my mother passed away, I didn't even give her a proper hug..."

"Sobbing uncontrollably!"

"Crying softly!"

"Sobbing uncontrollably!"

"Crying softly!"

Sitting under the window, Qiao Hui stared dumbfounded at the father-daughter duo hugging and crying. He thought for a moment and poured them two cups of tea, ensuring they had water to replenish themselves.

After a good cry, Chen Fu calmed down significantly and wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, "The person is gone, the past is dim and unchangeable. Hearing all this..."

Considering they were part of the royal family after all.

Chen Fu sighed in his heart but only sighed out loud, "Your biological father isn't a complete villain... for the sake of bloodline and glory, don't be so stubborn..."

Xianjin's eyes were red from crying, and her furrowed brows were a sign that someone was about to be scolded mercilessly.

Qiao Hui, knowing the situation, wisely shrank back.

Chen Fu immediately said, "If you don't want to acknowledge him, that's fine! We've lived well enough without him!"

Xianjin's furrowed brows relaxed.

The oppressive aura dissipated, and Chen Fu sighed, "So what now? Should we head back home? Are we giving up on the Capital City? Do we continue with our business?"

Xianjin said, "Of course we do. After working so hard to get from Jing County to Xuancheng Prefecture, and then to the Capital City, the rise and fall of Xuan paper is all in my hands. Hundreds of workshops, both large and small, along with over a thousand artisans, are relying on me to promote Xuan paper."

Xianjin added, "I’ve never believed in giving up halfway."

Chen Fu sighed, "I originally thought your birth father would either be a wealthy merchant or a noble family, but who would have thought—"

What are we going to do about this?

This status is too elevated.

This status is far too elevated.

Who would have guessed that the burden the Chen family carried for so long turned out to be a golden phoenix!

If this were to spread back to Xuancheng Prefecture, Madam Qu would probably kick herself if she knew!

Chen Fu’s worry was evident in the lines around his eyes and brow.

Xianjin, however, smiled, "My past identity didn’t hold me back, and my current status won’t change my resolve."

For someone who has already faced death, identity is the least of their concerns.

How to live, how to live well, and for what to live brilliantly—those were the real things she should be thinking about.

The path she walked had always been under her control.

Nothing and no one could stand in the way of her carefully laid plans.