Not long after, several men atop majestic spirit beast mounts were seen riding through the city before finally stopping just in front of the Fan Estate"s gates patiently waiting as the gates were opened and the Fan family guards respectfully saluted them as they proceeded to let them enter.Those familiar with the people in the entourage would immediately recognize their nation"s crown prince; Jin Meng Yao along with his close friend and confidante; Fan Xian Liang and of course, his father; Fan Hui Liang who was also a renowned genral in his own right.
As for the other two, it would still cause some puzzlement for others but to those who has attemded morning court these past few days, they would recognize tho older of the two as the infamous Lei w.a.n.gye; Fan Hui Zhong.
As for the alluring young man beside them, that still remained a mystery however seeing how well Jin Meng Yao treated this youngster, then this young man surely can"t be simple!
Those who saw them immediately rushed to get to the bottom and find out the mysterious young man"s ident.i.ty but what they didn"t realize is that they"ll find out sooner than they think!
Meanwhile, inside the Fan Estate, the recently arrived group had just settled down to drink some tea and refreshments when they heard a commotion break out just outside the front gates.
Having drawn their attention, the group decided to go closer to investigate when they heard a girl"s familiar voice echo out angrily.
"What do you mean This One can"t enter? This One has merely heard of the troubles that the Fan family has endured as of late so This One has come to provide Brother Li some support during this time!"
Hearing this, all the men present faces" darkened and it was only Wu Jun Qiao who looked mildly puzzled.
Fortunately, his confusion was resolved when he heard his cousin curse angrily under his breath as he directed a question towards his friend, Fan Xian Liang.
"What is that d.a.m.ned woman doing here, Xian?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
Replying with an equally annoyed voice, Fan Xian Liang replied and said, "I don"t know what she"s doing here but I have a pretty good idea on the reason why."
Scowling, Fan Hui Zhong turned to them and said, "You all go on ahead, I"ll handle this first then follow."
"Are you sure brother?"
"En. No need to worry, I"ll be quick."
Nodding his head, Fan Hui Liang shot an appreciative look towards his older brother before turning to the rest of them and motioning for them to follow him as he turned to leave.
Watching their backs disappear from sight, Fan Hui Zhong nodded once before turning around to make his way to where the ruckus was all coming from.
Walking slowly, his face turned increasingly darker with each step he took, the same with his frown which grew even more p.r.o.nounced as his annoyance and displeasure progressively increased.
Arriving at the gates, he saw Min Guo Ji who was trying to explain when he was repeatedly, rudely cut-off.
"My Lady, this servant does apologize but the masters has given out the order that none of them will be receiving any guests for the time being and that they do not wish to be disturbed. This old one d
"Old Man, who are you to deny me entrance? You"re just a steward here that I can easily have replaced with just a word to Brother Li! How dare you get in my way! Move or I"ll-"
"You"ll do what exactly?" Fan Hui Zhong condescendingly asked, his voice chillingly cold which totally contrasted with the simmering rage he was feeling inside that threatened to erupt at any moment.
Offended by the icy tone that was used against her, Ning Yan Mei whirled around to face the owner of the voice and when she saw who it was.
Any insult she wanted to hurl back was instantly swallowed back down her throat as she closed her mouth nervously.
On the other hand, Min Guo Ji who was caught of guard still managed to compose himself faster and spoke first to ask, "Lei w.a.n.gye!"
"Uncle Guo, you go on ahead. Check if Li Jie or Rou"er is in need of any a.s.sistance."
"Right away, Master. If you"ll excuse me then..." With a respectful bow, Min Guo Ji then walked away briskly, with only a polite nod of acknowledgement towards the now-silent princess.
Now with only her servant as well as the guards of the estate left behind, Ning Yan Mei could feel the intense stare that Fan Hui Zhong was levelling on her.
Due to the small amount of aura that Fan Hui Zhong was intentionally releasing, Ning Yan Mei felt her hair stand on end as she felt an invisible pressure pressing down on her.
Small beads of sweat started forming on her forehead, glistening against her fair white skin which had noticeably paled in comparison to when she first got here and as the pressure on her slowly built up, Ning Yan Mei couldn"t find the strength in herself to speak up as she had to focus on maintaining upright.
As she bit her plump red lip between her teeth, she was the perfect picture of a fragile beauty with the tell-tale signs of tears glimmering on her lashes that any pa.s.serby would instantly be moved at the sight yet Fan Hui Zhong acted as if he saw nothing and just pinned her under his cold, piercing gaze.
"Well? Is there anything else that this Fan can help you with?"
Unsure of what to say, Ning Yan Mei started acting timid and speak in a much softer tone which was the complete opposite of what she was doing before and even tried to be more amiable and demure now that Fan Hui Zhong was here to present a better image.
"Mei"er just wanted to drop by and show her support. Mei"er was really worried ever since heard the news..."
"Mei"er even heard that Brother Li has been working non-stop the past couple of days and just wanted to see if there was anything that I can do to help." Ning Yan Mei added hurriedly when she saw Fan Hui Zhong"s still cold gaze.
Unfortunately for her, Fan Hui Zhong"s expression remained unchanged and instead, his eyes narrowed dangerously for a split-second before he quickly masked it and only his stare turned icier and more aloof as he opened his mouth to speak and say, "We appreciate your concern and your intentions but I would like to respectfully ask you to leave."
Hearing his words, Ning Yan Mei"s eyes widened while disbelief and discontent filled her that she inadvertantly asked and blurted out the one question in her mind.
"But why?!"
"Weren"t you already told before that neither the Fan Estate nor my Lei Palace are receiving guests?"
"Yes, but then why was Crown Prince Meng Yao allowed to come?"
With his patience wearing dangerously thin, Fan Hui Zhong angrily retorted and said, "Meng Yao is my student and it was I who personally brought him here! Anything else?"
Though intimidated, Ning Yan Mei gritted her teeth and pushed on to voice out her complaints, after all she needed to get in first before she can foster any kind of relations.h.i.+p with them and especially with the eldest young master of the Fan Family; Fan Li Jie!
"What about that other man? He got to enter and-"
Fed up with all the questioning and already growing suspicious of her intentions, Fan Hui Zhong snapped, "That young man is my guest! Now if you"ll excuse me, please leave! Neither the Fan Estate nor the Lei Palace has the time to welcome you!"
Inwardly outraged at being so blatantly turned away that there was practically nothing left of her face, Ning Yan Mei wanted to lash out yet logic still prevailed so instead of arguing back, she just put on a pitiful expression and mumbled a few sentences to excuse herself before tearfully leaving, making it look as if she was being bullied.
Unluckily for her, due to the recent recruitment done by both the Fan Estate and the Lei Palace, there was a small yet sizeable number of people present who witnessed this happening and while the ones who just recently arrived initially felt sorry for her, the ones who were watching from the start quickly explained to them what happened.
Any sympathy Ning Yan Mei got instantly vanished and with the hushed whispers of the crowd, her already boiling rage threatened to explode yet the presence of the numerous guards and Fan Hui Zhong"s piercing stare on her back prevented her from exploding, leaving her feeling immensely aggrieved as she boarded her carriage.
Just as her coachman was about to depart, the familiar voice of the young man she wanted to see was heard from the outside, tempting her to take a peek yet what she heard only made her anger rise a notch.
"Uncle Zhong, I heard about the commotion from Old Man Guo. Is there anything I could do to help?" Fan Li Jie asked with his deep, clear voice.
"No need, my boy. You may go on ahead and get back to your tasks. It was just a little girl causing some trouble."
"Is that so?"
"En...Such a shame that most people think that with their reputation and background alone, they can immediately demand respect when the truth is, respect and goodwill is earned not through words but through actions and will always be reciprocated in kind!"
Shrugging, Ning Yan Mei saw Fan Li Jie turn around to go back inside and clearly heard him speak before disappearing from her view and say, "You should get used to it Uncle. Not everyone uses their brain."
Incensed, Ning Yan Mei furiously threw down the carriage"s curtain which she held up to peek before giving a pointed look towards the old servant she brought who immediately signalled the carriage driver to depart.