Chapter 64 — TVF Chapter 64

The Table-Flipping Old Father (4)

Han Xuanfeng lost his parents early, but they left him a substantial inheritance worth over a thousand taels of silver. Luckily, his uncles were all upstanding men with solid family backgrounds; no one wished to take advantage of an orphaned nephew.

As the only son, Han Xuanfeng’s heart was set on martial pursuits, and from a young age he was adventurous, sparing no expense on training and learning martial arts.

To be fair, Han Xuanfeng had some luck on his side, and was shrewd enough that he was rarely taken advantage of throughout his training. Even so, by the time he turned eighteen, the family fortune that could have supported three generations had dwindled to barely two hundred taels.

Realizing this couldn't go on, he enlisted at the front—becoming a soldier meant he could train at "public expense."

But just when he was feeling ambitious, bidding farewell to his childhood friend Si Sanniang and making new achievements on the battlefield, he suffered a severe injury within a year, forcing him to retire from the army.

Returning home, Han Xuanfeng married Si Sanniang. Only then did the costs of daily necessities and the thinness of his savings really hit him. Wishing to secure a fortune for the children he hoped to have, he gathered a group of childhood friends to set some "big plans" in motion—when Qin Jingzhou arrived.

After reassuring his tearful daughter, Qin Jingzhou found Han Xuanfeng more and more pleasing to the eye.

True, the original host had foolishly handed most of his earnings to Si Chenghui, but he wasn’t reckless; remembering his late wife's exhortations, he pushed back against parental pressure regarding his children’s marriages, ensuring all three chose those they loved.

Even Qin Jingzhou had to admit the original host’s children had excellent judgment.

As he chatted with his daughter, the two daughters-in-law were already busy in the kitchen preparing the meal.

As a side note, the original host's three children were spaced exactly three years apart in age. They had all married within the last year, so neither the daughters-in-law nor the daughter had any "good news" yet.

By evening, the sons and son-in-law returned from town with their loads full.

After a sumptuous dinner, Qin Jingzhou mixed up a medicinal soup to assist with martial training while assigning duties.

Since the Si patriarch and matriarch were determined to head to the capital for an easy life, they had already sold off everything except the old homestead—their properties in the village and town were all gone. After Si Chenghui passed the exam and became a scholar, the elder Si and his wife moved to the County Town.

Although the old house wasn’t quite rundown, making it comfortable again would require people and resources. Qin Jingzhou didn’t want the hassle nor to waste time, so he simply told his children to build a new estate halfway up the mountain.

Of course, calling it an estate was just putting it nicely—it was meant as a fortress.

Han Xuanfeng was even more excited than his two brothers-in-law. "Father, are you really planning to build a Si Family Fortress?"

Qin Jingzhou nodded. "Most folks from the village are trustworthy, but you can't rule out outsiders... and tongues will wag."

The original family home, Sanjia Village, was a large and well-known village in the region, with thousands living there.

As the name suggests, there were three major surnames in the village: Zhao, Han, and Si. The son-in-law was a Han, and both daughters-in-law were Zhaos.

The three families had intermarried over the years, so pick any two villagers at random and they’d be related within the fifth degree. Despite past friction, they could be counted on when it really mattered.

That’s why, as long as Qin Jingzhou promised to let some village youths train in martial arts with him, the villagers would not only lend a helping hand but would even cover for him willingly.

The family quickly agreed. That very night, the two sons and son-in-law personally experienced the power of a special Bone-strengthening decoction—a concoction whose recipe was rarely shared.

The three strapping young men were all laughs at first, planning to get out of the bath and go invite the clan elders for a discussion as soon as they were done. To their shock, after just a quarter of an hour they were drenched in sweat and aching all over, unable even to climb out of their tubs.

Qin Jingzhou lifted each of the three out in turn. "Soak every three days. Decide for yourselves."

Han Xuanfeng, who's seen the world, recognized the benefit despite the pain. "Father, is it because we're not strong enough that we can’t soak every day?"

Qin Jingzhou replied strictly, "Actually, it’s because we don’t have the money. If you want a good horse to run, you’ve got to feed it well. That’s why, even if I have to sell everything, I’ll raise you three first. After that, teaching disciples for silver gets a lot easier." With that, he went outside.

The two sons and the son-in-law stared at each other.

The eldest, Si Dalang, thought a moment and spoke first. "Father is completely different now."

The second nodded, lowering his voice, "Father said he was learning a craft when he was gone for three years. What exactly did he study in that time? Even when Hui hurt his leg, he didn’t get truly angry... and now..." He didn’t finish—the other two got the implications.

Han Xuanfeng was surprised. "Father left to study somewhere?"

After resting awhile, the three scrubbed off the medicinal residue, changed clothes, and went to the main room for further instructions.

In the next room, Qin Jingzhou could hear everything they said.

The truth was, the original host went south to learn new furniture styles and techniques, not martial arts as his sons suspected. Still, Qin Jingzhou let them believe what they wanted. He simply demonstrated a set of military-style calisthenics he’d altered slightly.

The routine, even in its original form, was more advanced than anything Han Xuanfeng had learned in the army. Qin Jingzhou’s improved version, combined with the earlier medicinal soup, yielded immediate benefits even after just one round.

Back in their room, Han Xuanfeng was bursting with excitement before his wife, Third Miss Si. "Father really has thought of everything!"

Third Miss Si closed her Pharmacopeia with a smile. "Of course he has."

She wasn’t highly educated and found it hard to parse the text, but at least she could memorize what herbs looked like—the compendium was illustrated, after all.

Han Xuanfeng moved close, saw the hefty book in her hands, and made up his mind. "Tomorrow I’ll send word, get Little Seven and Little Eight back home!"

Third Miss Si agreed. "Guard escort work isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, even if those escort agencies all belong to the Prince Haicheng."

Han Xuanfeng smiled. "True enough. Not to mention—the emperor is determined to eliminate Prince Haicheng. As for us, we’re under his thumb. If the king wins, fine. If the emperor wins, his troops won’t go easy on us, I know from experience... there’ll definitely be some plundering."

Third Miss Si snorted. "Just one round of plundering?"

Han Xuanfeng lowered his arms around her. "To be honest, I was going to take you and run... but if we can hold the mountain, why flee?"

Third Miss Si smiled more freely. "Quite the ambitious heart!"

Han Xuanfeng hugged her tightly. "Who says otherwise?"

The very next day, Han Xuanfeng’s brothers-in-arms, Xiaoqi and Xiaoba, got the message and hurried back from the mountains and County Town.

That day, Qin Jingzhou settled the matter with the three major surnames’ elders in just a few words.

The emperor’s attitude toward Prince Haicheng was no secret. If he could send men to attack the king’s trade convoys on the highway, there was no hope for reconciliation. Given Sanjia Village was on Prince Haicheng’s land, even if they avoided direct implication, they needed real "backbone" for self-preservation. In turbulent times, martial strength trumped everything.

That was the main reason the clan elders were willing to back Si Dalang, despite his falling-out with the newly promoted Top Scholar, Si Chenghui.

To show their support, the clan elders not only pledged labor and resources to help build the Si Family Fortress in the mountains, but several wealthy families even offered silver up front—just for a small estate within the new fortress.

Qin Jingzhou accepted gladly.

He then devoted himself to teaching his sons, daughter, and son-in-law, never forgetting to head up the mountain every other day to serve as "overseer" and gather medicinal herbs. Stone, timber, and extra meat for the village helpers cost him two thousand taels in quick succession.

Where had all the silver come from? The sons were curious, but all tacitly chose not to ask.

Qin Jingzhou did want to cultivate a powerful image, but the trust his children displayed deeply moved him.

All in all, life was full and busy on his side. Meanwhile, Si Chenghui finally arrived in the Prefecture Capital, exhausted and weary, and met up with Si Er and the others settled there.

Si Chenghui was under the eyes of spies sent by both the emperor and Princess Anyang, so when he met Second Brother Si he broke down in tears, crying with such anguish he nearly fainted.

Second Brother Si and his wife were shrewd people. Once the moment passed, they could see through him: Si Chenghui’s real targets were his birth parents and his wife; the old Si couple and their household were just dragged along for the ride.

But to publicly break with him... they simply didn’t dare.

Si Chenghui knew exactly what kind of man his second uncle was.

He was only putting on a show, so as long as everyone’s dignity was preserved, that was enough.

He paid his respects to the dead, then stayed in the Prefecture Capital, tending mostly to his mother, who was comatose more often than not.

Seeing her like this pricked Si Chenghui’s conscience a little, so he prepared a bowl of medicine for her—intending to send her off with dignity.

When he gave her the potion, for a moment it was as if she regained full clarity before death.

She was greedy and selfish, but not stupid, and cared deeply for her son. Yet, as the medicinal soup scorched its way down her throat, she was entirely under his control and unable to resist.

Once she'd swallowed it, she collapsed onto the bed, staring with bitter resentment at her son—who'd clamped her mouth shut so she couldn’t spit the medicine out. After a moment her face twisted in despair: she didn’t want to admit her son could kill a parent so unflinchingly, nor that her brother-in-law had seen through him from the start...

But no matter how much she regretted it, it was all too late. She could only curse him in her heart with vicious words, finally coughing up a few mouthfuls of black blood and dying with open, angry eyes.

Si Chenghui felt nothing—just that another burden was cleared away, one less worry in the future.

Mourning periods don’t stack: grandfather, grandmother, father, mother. For Si Chenghui, it was a once-and-for-all rest... During mourning, the emperor probably wouldn’t rush to betroth him to Princess Anyang.

Now within Prince Haicheng’s domain, he could take time to plan his next move. Princess Anyang might have ordered him to seduce Prince Haicheng’s beloved daughter, but now, with the emperor far away, he could just as well turn the farce into reality.

If he defected to Prince Haicheng, the king would surely buy the bones for a thousand in gold—in other words, accept him no matter what, in order to attract talent.

So for the moment, Si Chenghui settled comfortably into life in the Prefecture Capital.

About Prince Haicheng’s household: though his residence was nominally in the Prefecture Capital, because of his ambitions, he had secretly established a military camp beneath an escort agency in a nearby County Town. Over the years, the underground stronghold had expanded, eventually connecting to both the mansion in the prefecture and the villa on the outskirts of the county, forming a loose but functional underground network.

Because Prince Haicheng and his family usually lived at the villa by the County Town, Si Chenghui spent two weeks in the Prefecture Capital without managing a "love-at-first-sight" meeting with the king’s daughter.

Luckily, August soon arrived.

In the Great Qi, the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of the eighth lunar month was a grand affair; everyone from officials to commoners drank wine, enjoyed flowers, visited family and friends.

At the same time, the Great Qi’s mourning customs weren’t that strict—it was fine to leave the house. Having received an invitation from the prefect, Si Chenghui finally met Prince Haicheng’s beloved daughter.

It had to be said, Si Chenghui’s looks were outstanding. His talent, while not first rate, was still decent, and from his previous life as a "central air-conditioning" type, he had maxed out his skill at sweet talking and flattery. Even though the young Marquis’ Daughter of Prince Haicheng’s family had met many a talented young man, she still couldn’t resist Si Chenghui’s charm.

One thing led to another, and the two genuinely got close.

The young Marquis’ Daughter clearly had feelings for him and introduced him to her father.

Prince Haicheng was no fool, but he didn’t want to violently spoil a budding romance either. Instead, he set a condition: win some merit before marrying his daughter. Pointing to Sanjia Village on the map, he said, "Scouts report there are two mountain bandit dens here. Join the expedition."

Si Chenghui was silent for a moment, then bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

Inside, he was cursing: There truly isn’t a single good soul in the royal family! The only fate fitting for them is to be overthrown and destroyed. Just wait and see!