Intimidation

"Ziran, Fourth Concubine heard that you planned to return all the promissory notes to those farmers. Is that true?" Before three days had even passed, An Changfu's three concubines received the news and rushed over at once. Wang Qinglan was the first to speak. Having no children of her own, she could only curry favor with An Ziran to secure her footing in the An Family.

When she heard the news, she was shocked out of her wits. Though she did not know exactly how many promissory notes there were or how great the total amount was, she knew it could not be small. If they were all returned to the farmers of Anyuan County, it would deal the An Family a tremendous loss. Part of the An Family's wealth came from the interest collected from farmers.

Fang Junping and Zheng Bi followed behind her into the study as well, their expressions equally unpleasant. As An Changfu's concubines, they knew more or less how much the master had valued those promissory notes while he was alive.

Now, with a single sentence, An Ziran wanted to return all the promissory notes to those farmers. Did he think the An Family was a charity hall, specially devoted to good deeds? If this was not madness, what was?

An Ziran cast them a faint glance, his gaze sweeping over their faces and taking in nearly every expression. Even without their speaking, he could read their thoughts. Lowering his eyes, he said without a trace of emotion, "Now that Father is dead, have you all forgotten the An Family's rules?"

The three women froze, only realizing what he meant after a moment.

When An Changfu was alive, concubines were forbidden from involving themselves in any matters concerning the An Family's business. Even accidentally letting something slip was not permitted; otherwise, they would face family punishment. The other rule concerned the study.

The study was also the accounting room, and An Changfu had attached great importance to it. Therefore, he had included the study among the An Family's rules. Apart from the principal wife, Liu Meixiang, and Steward Su, no one else was allowed to enter the study unless the head of the family gave permission. They had violated two rules in succession. If An Changfu were still alive, they would surely have been cursed until they were drenched in dog's blood, and family punishment would not have been out of the question.

The three women were immediately intimidated.

After thinking it over, Wang Qinglan ultimately said nothing. Offending An Ziran was not a wise move.

However, Fang Junping was not as clever as Wang Qinglan. An Changfu had often neglected her, and her temperament had always been somewhat problematic. She often wore a cold face, with every bit of displeasure written plainly across it, so she immediately snapped back without thinking.

"An Ziran, don't think that just because your father is dead, you can disrespect your elders. No matter what, we are still your elders!"

"Elders?" An Ziran did not stop moving his brush. He merely raised his head and stared at them. "Do elders get to ignore the An Family's rules? Do elders get to lean on their age and lord it over others? Then what use are family rules? Without rules, no circle can be drawn and no square can be made. You should understand that principle. Father is dead, but I am not. If Second Concubine finds life too peaceful and wants a little excitement, I will have someone find you a courtyard. You can move there. If you want to bring your daughter to live with you, that will be fine too."

Fang Junping's expression changed as she shouted sharply, "You dare!"

This was imprisonment in all but name. Once she was sent away from the An Family, there would be little hope left for the rest of her life, and even An Qiaoe might be implicated.

"As the head of the family, what is there that I would not dare to do?" An Ziran said calmly. "Second Concubine, do not forget that Sister Qiaoe is not married yet. If you do not want to ruin her reputation and make it impossible for her to marry in the future, you had better obey this household's rules."

Fang Junping's eyes widened. He actually dared to use An Qiaoe to threaten her? An Qiaoe truly was her weak point. She had been counting on marrying her daughter into a good family. If she ruined her daughter's life because of herself, she would live in regret for the rest of her days. At that thought, all desire to resist vanished from her heart, and she completely lowered her banner and stilled her drums.

Zheng Bi, who had originally harbored some thoughts of her own, immediately abandoned them as well. An Ziran was clearly using Fang Junping to warn both her and Wang Qinglan at the same time—killing the chicken to frighten the monkeys. If she still failed to read the situation, she might truly find herself unable to swallow what she had bitten off. The changed An Ziran had undergone a drastic shift in temperament. He acted with great decisiveness now; he was no longer that uselessly timid fat man from before.

The three women slunk out of the study in disgrace.

Not only had they failed to get the answer they wanted, they had stirred up a whole mess for themselves instead.

Wang Qinglan keenly felt that An Ziran was becoming harder and harder to deal with. It seemed she could no longer use her old methods.