Schemes of the Noble Households Chapter 7

Having learned his lesson, Sebastian Huan never left home again before the Shangsi Festival.

Princess Nankang ordered the palace to be rectified and all the servants around the husband to be screened. Anyone found to have problems, regardless of whether there was evidence, would be demoted to a farm slave, and their descendants would all be slaves and could never be freed.

Most of the maids and servants around Sebastian Huan had left, and those who remained were trembling with fear, and were extremely careful in how they walked and spoke.

Adrian Huan had experienced this before, so this time there was no big trouble. But seeing more than ten servants with their hands tied, wearing only a single piece of clothing and being chased out of the mansion barefoot, everyone could not help but tense up their scalps, acted more cautiously, and served more attentively.

Ah Mai's methods were fierce, and Princess Nankang was quite satisfied with the result. However, when she saw the maids on the list, she couldn't help but sneer.

"Are these people from Langya?"

"Your Highness, these maids were born in the Langya Palace and followed the Princess of Yuyao County into the Huan family." A Mai said.

"Why not in Gusu?"

"Earlier, the Second Young Master took the initiative and sent the person to the Fourth Young Master."

"Send it back to him."

Princess Ankang sneered again, and the list flew down to her feet. The colorful gems holding down the hem of her skirt were so bright that they seemed to hurt people's eyes.

"Send a few strong servants to Gusu and present it to the Second Young Master in front of the Master."

"promise."

Princess Nankang had been married to Sima Huan for many years and knew Huan Wen's character very well. She absolutely did not believe that after sending the person over, the old slave would still pretend to know nothing!

The B@st@ard had been hiding his thoughts for many years. It was not that she could not care about it, but that she was disdainful of it.

Nowadays, if you dare to hurt Guaer and cross her bottom line, it will not be easy to let it go!

Adrian Huan had seen all the changes in the mansion. The servants were indeed pitiful, but this matter was not his business, nor should he be involved.

Different times have different rules for dealing with things. If you offend someone lightly, the consequences will never be good.

Just like the official selection system at that time, there were no poor scholars in the upper ranks and no nobles in the lower ranks. Origin determines everything and can easily change a person's life trajectory.

If you are born in a rich family, you are destined to live a life of luxury and fine food; if you are born in a poor family, even if you have great talent, you may not be able to succeed.

If you want to leave a name in the Jin Dynasty, you must first have a good face and second have talent. But no matter which one you choose, there must be a prerequisite: family background!

Adrian Huan was very fortunate that he came from a noble family.

Although his biological father was a rebel, he was still a member of the noble family. If he were born into a poor family, it would be even worse. He would be a slave when he woke up, and he would have trouble even getting two meals a day, let alone a future.

The Western Jin Dynasty was extravagant. Shi Chong could burn wax as firewood and paint the walls with pepper. But among the common people, many died of hunger and disease. When the Western Jin Dynasty fell, the Jin Dynasty moved south. The nobles who stayed in the north still had a way out, but the common people had no choice. One can imagine what their fate would be.

Two-legged sheep.

These three words are the deepest pain engraved in the heart of every Han Chinese.

Adrian Huan sat quietly in the room with one arm resting on the low couch. After a moment, he stood up and walked outside, gazing at the blood-red setting sun. As the sun sank into the west, he felt a heaviness in his heart and his throat seemed to be blocked by a stone.

Taking a deep breath, he was not a person who was concerned about the country and the people. But today he suddenly felt emotional and thought about these random things, which was really strange.

"My dear, it's cold in the evening, you should put on an extra coat."

A Gu no longer tried to stop Adrian Huan from going out, but the little boy followed him closely, wishing he could stay with him for twelve hours with his eyes glued to him.

Several times, Adrian Huan felt so depressed that he wanted to sigh.

But after the little boy interrupted him, his worries were swept away. Adrian Huan turned around, the afterglow of the setting sun reflected around him, and his smile was a little hazy.

"I see."

The little boy opened his mouth wide, stunned.

"Anan?"

"Yes, yes!"

The little boy was awakened and hurriedly stood on tiptoe to put the outer robe on Adrian Huan's shoulders. Before he could say anything, he heard a burst of hurried wooden clogs. He knew without turning around that it was Silangjun who came.

"Brother!"

A few meters away, Sebastian Huan smiled, holding three bamboo scrolls in his hands, and walked quickly to Adrian Huan, presenting them to him like a treasure.

"Brother, I found this in the library!"

Behind him, several strong servants were carrying books on their backs or shoulders, none of them empty-handed. It was estimated that Sebastian Huan had made a lot of gains, finding no less than a hundred bamboo slips. This also indirectly showed that the Huan family had a large collection of books.

In the Jin Dynasty, a family's collection of gold, silver, cloth and silk was considered wealth at most, but the number of books in the family's collection represented the family's heritage.

"Most of these were left by my great-grandfather and grandfather." Sebastian Huan put down the bamboo slips, took the cloth handed to him by the child, wiped his sweat and said, "After the Shangsi Festival, I will find more for my younger brother."

"Thank you, brother."

Adrian Huan took the bamboo slips with a smile and invited Sebastian Huan to the inner room. The little boy stayed in the corridor and led the strong servant to the side room to place the register.

The two brothers sat down in front of the low couch. Sebastian Huan gulped down the water, put down the cup, smacked his lips, and said subconsciously: "Brother, the water here is very sweet."

"Agu has mixed honey." Adrian Huan pushed the lacquer tray towards Sebastian Huan and said, "I know you like sweet food, so I sprinkled more sugar on these cold dishes."

Sebastian Huan opened his mouth with a simple and honest smile, wiped his hands with a cloth, and started eating.

Adrian Huan narrowed his eyes and smiled.

It was a blessing to have a brother who loved eating. At least his appetite was no longer too conspicuous, attracting surprised looks every now and then.

Half of the snacks disappeared in the blink of an eye, Adrian Huan unfolded the bamboo slips, calmed down and began to study. Fortunately, he had the memory of his previous life, otherwise, these words recorded in small seal script would be like a heavenly book to him.

Although the bamboo slips are heavy, they do not record much.

After quickly finishing one volume, Adrian Huan had an idea in his mind. For the rest, he only read the beginning, glanced at it a few times, and then put it aside, and casually opened another volume.

"Brother," Sebastian Huan widened his eyes and asked in confusion, "are you reading?"

"Yes." Without even raising his head, Adrian Huan called the little boy to bring more letters.

"Can you understand?"

"nature."

"Brother is awesome!"

Adrian Huan looked up at Sebastian Huan and raised one eyebrow.

Sebastian Huan picked up another half-fried dough stick and said, "I can't bear to read too many words. Too many words will give me a headache. When I was first learning, my Confucian teacher taught me very hard, but I forgot what I learned in a blink of an eye. I understand the meaning in my mind, but I just can't write it down."

Listening to Sebastian Huan's story, a thought suddenly flashed through Adrian Huan's mind. Perhaps Sebastian Huan's problem was not intelligence, but dyslexia?

"Brother?"

"It's okay." Adrian Huan shook his head and said, "I just feel that my brother is not what others say."

Seeing that Adrian Huan did not laugh at him, Sebastian Huan's smile became even more honest.

"Brother, what are you looking for by flipping through these family trees?"

"Yeah." Adrian Huan responded vaguely.

The nobles were intermarried with each other, and the relationships between them were complicated. If you wanted to do things without making mistakes, you had to understand the relationships between your own relatives, so as not to meet them when you went out and didn't recognize them in person.

When Adrian Huan opened the bamboo slips, he found that the one about Huan Wen was enough to make him feel overwhelmed. His brain was not enough, so he had to ask the child to bring paper and pen to write down the main contents.

Princess Nankang's biological mother was from the Yu family. In fact, Yu Xi and Princess Nankang were cousins.

Huan Mi's daughter, his cousin, married Yu You's son Yu Xuan, and Yu You and Yu Xi were brothers. In many ways, he and Yu Shi became cousins.

His second brother married Sima Daofu, the daughter of Sima Yu, King of Langya.

According to the royal family, Sima Yu is the uncle of Princess Nankang. In other words, Princess Nankang, the mother-in-law, and Princess Yuyao, the daughter-in-law, are of the same generation in their natal family!

Looking at the lines on the paper, Adrian Huan was completely overwhelmed.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Counting the brothers of Grand Marshal Huan and the relatives of the Huan family, Adrian Huan's face turned green.

It may take three days and three nights to memorize all these family relationships.

Adrian Huan put down his pen and pinched his forehead. He glanced at Sebastian Huan, who had finished a plate of fried dough twist and was moving on to another one, looking so relaxed that he was really jealous.

"Brother."

"ah?"

"It suddenly occurred to me that not being able to study wasn't such a bad thing."

Sebastian Huan: ...

Sebastian Huan's commotion was quite loud, and Princess Nankang soon heard about it. She called the maid to ask about it, and learned that it was not Sebastian Huan who was making trouble, but Adrian Huan who wanted to check the family tree. After thinking for a moment, Princess Nankang clapped her hands and laughed.

"The melon has grown up."

In addition to being delighted, they asked someone to send them half a house of bamboo slips, the earliest of which could be traced back to the pre-Qin period.

Watching the maidservants leave, Adrian Huan leaned against the door frame, unable to hold back his tears.

It would be great to have two plates of Sazi when you have nothing to do. Why bother looking up family tree or worrying about it?

Unfortunately, things have come to this point and there is no room for change. Rubbing his brows tiredly, he turned around and looked at the scrolls that filled half of the room. Adrian Huan clenched his fists and fought!

Compared to staying up late to study hard back then, this little difficulty is nothing!

Until the eve of the Shangsi Festival, Adrian Huan was still buried in his books, and A Gu and Xiao Tong were very worried. Finally, Princess Nankang came over in person and told him to have a good rest, otherwise he was not allowed to go out. Adrian Huan bowed his head and agreed, reluctantly leaving the desk.

Adrian Huan lay on the couch and closed his eyes. Although he was mentally exhausted and his eyes were sore, he had gained a lot. At least he was sure that when he met a noble man from Jiankang tomorrow, he would not be speechless and end up in an awkward situation.

The candlelight flickered slightly, and the little boy lay down behind the screen holding a thick quilt.

Adrian Huan tried to persuade him several times, but he just couldn't get over it, so he could only let him go.

As the night clock gradually faded, Adrian Huan fell into a deep sleep. The red mole on his forehead became brighter and brighter, like a gem.

On the day of Shangsi Festival, Adrian Huan got up early.

She resolutely refused to wear the gown brought by the maid, and instead wore a blue robe with a belt around her waist embroidered with auspicious clouds and hanging from it a warm green jade, which was the one sent by Princess Nankang.

"My dear, you are not old enough to wear a hat or a cap. Do you want to wear a scarf?"

Adrian Huan nodded.

A Gujing took over and replaced the maid to tie Adrian Huan's hair.

Seeing a maid opening a lacquer box and picking up something that looked like a powder puff, Adrian Huan's face suddenly changed and he waved his hands repeatedly.

I will never wear a tank top and I will never put on powder!

"My dear, this is the style of Jiankang."

"I'm not used to it." Adrian Huan insisted. Seeing that the servant was not giving up, he even mentioned Xie Xuan, saying that when they met that day, the other party was also wearing a long gown and had no makeup on.

A Gu couldn't resist any further and had to ask someone to take down the lacquer box.

Adrian Huan heaved a sigh of relief, left the inner room, and walked through the corridor. Hearing the crisp clicking sound, he felt uncertain.

Did he forget something?

Sure enough, when he reached the end of the corridor, he ran into Sebastian Huan, who was full of excitement. Adrian Huan was speechless.

He wore a long-sleeved shirt with the front open, and a fashionable tank top underneath. His handsome face did not conform to the current aesthetic, but he could be called a modern man.

The problem is that there is a layer of powder on the face!

"Brother!"

As he spoke, powder fell down and Adrian Huan looked up at the sky in silence.

"Agu."

"I am here."

"Take someone to change my brother's outer robe and wipe off the powder."

"promise."

Several maids and servants rushed forward. Sebastian Huan did not understand what they meant and looked at Adrian Huan in astonishment.

"Brother, why is this happening?"

"It's cold in March. To avoid catching a cold, you should change your clothes."

It’s fine if you can’t see it, but it’s definitely not acceptable if it’s right in front of you!

Adrian Huan was firm in his words, and Sebastian Huan had no choice but to change into a long robe, wash his face and comb his hair again, and get on the ox cart.

The strong servant whipped the horse and walked all the way to the entrance of Wuyi Lane, where he met Xie Xuan who was waiting for him.

He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, with a belt only loosely tied around his waist. His long hair was not tied up, and fell behind him like a waterfall. When the wind blew, his sleeves and hair moved slightly, making him look extremely handsome and unrestrained.

While expressing his admiration, Adrian Huan looked at the depressed Sebastian Huan, and became more and more convinced that he had made the right choice.

In front of such a true celebrity, it would be safer for people like him and Sebastian Huan not to act too casually.