Which Grandson

His eyes were like cold stars, sharp as blades.

Even An Ziran, who had prepared himself mentally, could not help his scalp from tingling. He could tell that the blood stench on this man was the strongest among everyone in the hall. This must be Fu Wutian, the current master of Prince Fu's Manor.

Fu Wutian commanded hundreds of thousands of troops. Judging by his bearing, he truly did not disgrace his name—his disdainful gaze was lawless enough. There was also an impossible-to-ignore murderous aura about him. Though he had tried his best to suppress it, it could still be sensed. He was not too different from what An Ziran had imagined.

The man's tall, upright body stood in the center of the hall like a poplar tree, making his presence nearly impossible to ignore. His features were handsome and resolute, his sword-like brows brimming with heroic spirit. There was not a single soft line to him, and his broad shoulders seemed capable of holding up the sky. Such a man truly matched people's image of a hero—if not for the blood-soaked person beneath his foot.

An Ziran thought that if An Yuzhi saw this scene, he wondered whether she would still be willing to marry Fu Wutian.

He could not fathom a girl's thoughts. Though An Yuzhi appeared delicate and frail on the outside, one could not judge what lay in her heart by appearances alone. That was the lesson of experience.

After losing focus for a moment, An Ziran quickly came back to himself. In an instant, he realized that Fu Wutian and his subordinates were all looking at him. Most of them showed a trace of astonishment in their eyes, as if they had seen something unbelievable. He frowned slightly, then promptly calmed down as though nothing had happened.

The man standing in the center of the hall stared expressionlessly at him for a while before suddenly saying to the young man beside him, "Take him away."

Steward Su shuddered, thinking the man meant them.

Afraid that he might fall, An Ziran gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

Without sparing them a glance, the young man immediately had two people haul the blood-soaked man out of the hall. The others briefly cleaned the bloodstains from the floor before withdrawing.

At last, the stench of blood in the hall faded a little.

The man turned and walked over to sit in the seat of honor. He picked up the hot tea poured by a servant and drank it unhurriedly, showing no sign of impatience. Yet this very calmness invisibly imposed pressure and unease on others.

An Ziran did not feel much. He had prepared himself before coming here. Steward Su, however, was different. His expression had already revealed the panic in his heart. He was advanced in years, and the other party was no ordinary prince. That he had not fled in terror already took considerable courage. If An Ziran had known things would be like this, he would have had Steward Su wait outside.

Just as he was thinking this, the man's voice suddenly rang out in the hall.

"Where is the jade pendant?"

An Ziran looked up at the man and found him watching him. His black eyes did not ripple in the slightest, seeming almost too calm. An Ziran could not read any thoughts from them. For the first time, he felt at a loss, accustomed as he was to observing others' expressions before deciding how to respond.

He was not used to dragging things out. He immediately took the jade pendant from his robes and cut through the tangled mess with a single stroke. "Does Your Highness recognize this jade pendant?"

Seeing not a trace of fear in him, Fu Wutian's deep gaze lingered on his face for a moment before calmly shifting to the jade pendant. With a single glance, he recognized it as the Drake Jade from his grandmother's pair of Mandarin Duck Jade Pendants.

The Mandarin Duck Jade Pendants had been carved from the finest mutton-fat white jade, the very best among soft jades. Such jade was exceedingly rare, and only the imperial family possessed it. The craftsman who had carved the pendants had been a renowned sculptor, but he had died more than a decade ago. From then on, the Mandarin Duck Jade Pendants had become one-of-a-kind treasures, impossible for anyone to imitate.

"You've got some nerve, stealing a jade pendant from the prince's manor."

The sudden furious shout rang out. An Ziran's heart abruptly thudded faster. When he lifted his head, he saw Fu Wutian's darkened eyes fixed upon him, an oppressive force bearing down on him head-on. Steadying himself, he said, "Your Highness, this jade pendant was a betrothal token given by Old Prince Fu to the An Family ten years ago. If you do not believe me, you may ask Old Prince Fu. I trust he will give you an answer."

No sooner had he finished than Fu Wutian's lips curved slightly. It was like a night-blooming flower flashing into view, gone in an instant. Then his rich voice sounded through the hall.

"Since Young Master An wishes to confront him face-to-face, go invite Old Prince Fu!"

Steward Li's hesitant reply came at once from outside the hall, followed by footsteps receding into the distance.

Seeing him agree so readily, An Ziran instead grew suspicious. From the look of things, Fu Wutian seemed not to know about the marriage agreement or the jade pendant at all. Could Old Prince Fu truly have never mentioned this matter to him? Before he could make sense of it, a clamor of footsteps sounded outside the hall, followed by a loud, bold voice.

"Which grandson is looking for me?"

An Ziran turned around and saw a plump old man stride in from outside, his head held high and chest thrust out. His face was exceedingly imposing, and he looked every inch majestic, yet his exaggerated swaying gait made one want to laugh. He was clearly a rosy-cheeked old child with a lively, unrestrained temperament.

Could this be Old Prince Fu?

The moment Old Prince Fu entered, his seemingly mischievous eyes slid blandly past his own grandson before abruptly landing on An Ziran at the side. He suddenly rushed over, happily seized An Ziran's hand, his eyes gleaming slyly bright, and uttered something astonishing: "Grandson, what do you need Grandfather for?"

An Ziran: "..."

Steward Su was about to faint.