They were taken away by Sun Mo, leaving the remaining people staring blankly at each other.
Just as these two important figures were about to leave, Fan Zehao suddenly spoke: "You both know the techniques held by Gan Jiaojiao and Gan Yaoyao, right!"
Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu exchanged glances and nodded, not understanding why their elder brother suddenly brought this topic up.
They nodded in a daze, replying, "We know!"
Hearing their answers, Fan Zehao let out a sinister chuckle, "That's good. Then tell me, how should these two be arranged!"
Huangfu Xian pointed to the woman beside him, "If they want to be your sister-in-law's maids, then agree. That way, they'll be under sister-in-law's control, and we won't have to worry about them pulling any new tricks!"
Upon hearing that this ticking time bomb was being tossed to her, Zhao Jiaqi immediately lost her temper and flatly refused, "Why should I be the one to manage them? You two caused this mess, so you'll be responsible until the end. If anything happens to these two, or if they say or do something they shouldn't, then you two will be sinners of the Yun Kingdom. You figure it out!"
With that, she flicked her sleeves and left, dumping the remaining matters to the Huangfu brothers!
Meanwhile, Fan Zehao inside the house chuckled and stroked his chin, looking at the bewildered brothers. He kindly reminded them, "If you ask me, these two sisters are truly beautiful. Why don't you each marry one? This will not only be beneficial to the peace of the Yun Kingdom but also to you both. After all, a beautiful woman with talent and looks is rare!"
Huangfu Xu glanced at Fan Zehao, who spoke so carelessly, "Since they are great beauties, so talented and good-looking, why don't you marry one, elder brother!"
He smiled slyly, spread his hands, and shrugged, "I'm already married. I'll leave such good fortunes to others. I only have one principle: these two women must stay. I don't care what methods or means you use. If anything happens to these two, you can sharpen your knives and expose your necks for me to chop!"
After uttering these chilling words, Fan Zehao also flicked his sleeves and walked away humming a tune.
Back in their room, the couple exchanged a smile. They never expected such a difficult problem to be so easily passed on to them. Now, both of them felt greatly relaxed, both physically and mentally!
"Husband, do you think these brothers will marry them?"
"I don't care about that. The people have been dumped on them anyway!" After he finished speaking, he paused, "Even if they wanted to marry them, I don't think those two women would necessarily agree. Didn't you notice that these sisters would rather be maids than become concubines to the old master of the Zhang mansion!"
Zhao Jiaqi pondered her husband's words and found them reasonable. A favored concubine received much better treatment than an ordinary one. Moreover, these two women were exceptionally beautiful. It would only take a snap of their fingers to manipulate that old man!
"Never mind, let them have their headaches!" Zhao Jiaqi also decided to be a hands-off manager and no longer concerned herself with them!
Bored, the couple decided to cook a meal to reward themselves.
The man tended the fire, and the woman chopped vegetables and cooked. Time seemed to rewind to when they had just gotten married. After more than half an hour, the courtyard was filled with fragrance, which drifted for ten miles on the wind.
The evening meal was relatively simple: stewed dishes with steamed buns, and a small chicken stewed with mushrooms. These simple dishes were not difficult, and the key was that one pot could produce a large amount of food, saving time and effort, and everyone could eat their fill.
Unlike usual, where each dish was small, and a table full of dishes would make people feel full before they could eat anything!
And so, the following scene unfolded.
Some ate their rice bowls in one hand and steamed buns in the other, leaning against the wall. Some sat on the doorstep in groups of two or three, holding their rice bowls. Only they, the proper masters, were sitting at the dining table eating.
Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu had never seen such a scene before. Prince Xiaoyao snorted, "What kind of situation is this? Eating by the wall. What kind of custom is this!"
Fan Zehao spat out a chicken bone, looked down at him, and said, "Whose rule says you can't squat and eat? If you can fill your stomach, eat however you want. What business is it of yours?"
Huangfu Xu was inexplicably reprimanded by his elder brother and was a bit confused about the situation. He dared not speak out in anger, only daring to glare at him secretly, but Zhao Jiaqi saw it clearly!
As the saying goes, those who watch a lively scene are not afraid of it escalating. She tugged at her husband's sleeve and complained, "He glared at you, I saw it!"
Upon hearing his sister-in-law's words, Huangfu Xu's face immediately changed color. He anxiously spoke to Zhao Jiaqi, his words sharp, "Sister-in-law, you can't say that. I just got something in my eye just now and rolled my eyes."
Zhao Jiaqi directly ignored him. She was not intimidated and said, "Did you hear that, husband? He glared at you first, and then rolled his eyes at you."
Fan Zehao nodded, quickly finished the food in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and without a word, grabbed the still-explaining Huangfu Xu and dragged him off for practice.
While it was called practice, it was actually a solo beating, just with a better excuse.
Fan Zehao did not hold back at all throughout the ordeal. Even when Huangfu Xu begged for mercy, he did not let go. He looked at the bruised and swollen person and smiled maliciously, revealing a row of white teeth, making Huangfu Xu wish he could pull out two of his front teeth.
He said, "It's good to loosen your muscles. Otherwise, you'll be too weak to consummate your marriage when you get married!"
Huangfu Xu's mouth opened, but he found his lips so sore that he couldn't speak. Fan Zehao, thinking he was overwhelmed with gratitude, patted his shoulder and smiled heartily, saying, "No need to thank me. Just have your guards send me a thousand taels of silver as thanks later!"
What is thick-skinned, what is shameless and invincible, he now understood it all.
He was the one being beaten, yet he was the one paying, and still had to be grateful. At this moment, Huangfu Xu felt like he had eaten ten pounds of bitter herbs, with no way to express his bitterness. His eyes were swollen shut, and he couldn't even shed tears.
Seeing this, Huangfu Xian helped the person up from the ground and pretended to comfort him pitifully, "Brother, if your mother were alive, she probably wouldn't recognize this pig's head! Does it hurt? Come, I'll get you some salt water to wash it with. Sister-in-law said that salt water is antiseptic and can effectively treat wounds, helping them to heal better."
Huangfu Xu frowned, pouting his swollen lips, and asked, "Really? I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Why don't you try it yourself and find out? Truly ignorant, truly a disgrace to the royal family!"
There, Huangfu Xu only asked if it was true, and he was lectured again!
The brothers supported each other and left. Zhao Jiaqi was observing her husband to see if he was injured. Not long after, screams of agony came from the kitchen!
The two of them were startled and looked at each other, then at the kitchen. Zhao Jiaqi saw a flash of movement, and Huangfu Xian swiftly darted out of the kitchen, followed closely by Huangfu Xu, and the two of them were once again performing a race for their lives in the courtyard.