The Quality of the Servants

When An Ziran arrived at Prince Fu's Manor, Steward Li personally came out to usher him inside.

Seeing him, Steward Li smiled until his whole face wrinkled. "Young Master An, you came very early. Our prince is practicing in the courtyard and will not be here for a while."

An Ziran noticed that although Steward Li was smiling, there was not a trace of respect in his eyes. However, he did not mind. Nor was he surprised by his words; he had already been mentally prepared when he received the invitation.

An Ziran's arrival caused a small stir within Prince Fu's Manor.

The purpose of the master and servant's arrival two days ago had already spread throughout the manor. Before that, very few people knew that Prince Fu's Manor and the An Family had a marriage agreement; only Old Prince Fu and Fu Wutian knew.

However, ever since Old Prince Fu had fallen ill, Fu Wutian had been the only one in the entire manor who knew of it. Yet he had been stationed at the border for years and had not taken the marriage agreement to heart, so even his subordinates knew nothing of it. Thus, when the news spread, one could imagine how shocked they were.

Even before An Ziran arrived, people had already begun making inquiries.

When they heard that the other party was a landowner's daughter, none of them could believe it.

In everyone's eyes, the prince's status was incomparably noble. The woman who became his princess should at the very least be the daughter of a high-ranking official. How could a mere landowner's daughter possibly be worthy of him? No one thought highly of this marriage. They believed the prince would surely be unwilling to marry that woman, so when they heard that he would only grant her the status of a secondary consort, they looked down on her even more.

Steward Li was one such representative.

Last time, because of the former princess consort's jade pendant, he had not dared to slight them and had rashly barged in. As a result, he had nearly been punished by the prince. Now that he knew the An Family was not favored by the prince, he was the first to voice his displeasure.

Steward Li asked An Ziran to wait in the main hall. He did not immediately send someone to notify the prince, instead having a servant pour An Ziran a cup of half-cold tea.

An Ziran picked up the teacup, then set it down again.

Steward Li noticed. With a smile that did not reach his eyes, he said, "Why is Young Master An not drinking the tea? Could it be that Prince Fu's Manor's tea does not suit your taste? Then I truly must apologize. Perhaps Young Master An is used to drinking inferior tea. Unfortunately, the manor's tea is all top-grade; we truly do not have any inferior tea leaves. You will just have to make do."

Steward Su was so furious at those words that he nearly jumped out, but An Ziran stopped him in time.

An Ziran finally confirmed that Steward Li was targeting him. Was he really being so blatant in mocking him because Fu Wutian had ordered it, intending to put him in his place? Though he was not entirely certain, he was not someone who would casually allow a servant to pull faces at him.

"I have indeed never seen anyone entertain guests with cold tea. The quality of Prince Fu's Manor's servants is rather questionable."

Steward Li's expression froze.

Just as he was about to retort with a few sarcastic remarks, a set of steady footsteps sounded from outside.

Fu Wutian's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

When Steward Li turned around and saw him, he was so frightened that his soul nearly fled his body. His heart instantly rose to his throat as he wondered whether the prince had heard what he had just said, leaving him utterly unsettled.

An Ziran's gaze fell on Fu Wutian, carrying a faint, imperceptible scrutiny, as if he wished to see from his face whether he had been the one behind it. Yet just as with his first impression of Fu Wutian, this was a man impossible to read. His deep expression revealed nothing of whether he had heard their conversation.

Fu Wutian strode inside and glanced at the stiff-bodied Steward Li. "I do not wish to hear guests questioning the quality of the manor's servants again. Go and bring two cups of hot tea."

Steward Li immediately scrambled out of the main hall.

An Ziran looked at Fu Wutian suspiciously. So it truly had not been his doing? The thought flashed through his mind before he immediately dismissed it. Given Fu Wutian's status, there was absolutely no need for him to make things difficult for An Ziran.

"Have you stared enough?"

Fu Wutian's steady, rich voice drew his attention back.

An Ziran withdrew his gaze. He felt that Fu Wutian's words seemed to carry a hint of teasing, but his solemn expression did not seem to suggest that at all, so he merely assumed he had misheard.

After a while, Steward Li indeed brought over two cups of hot tea and took away the cup that had gone cold.

An Ziran took the initiative to raise the subject. "My Lord, regarding the marriage agreement between our two families, the An Family will not accept the arrangement of a secondary consort. Back then, Old Prince Fu and my grandfather agreed that Yu Zhi would marry into your household as your princess consort. This was Old Prince Fu's promise to my grandfather!" He deliberately emphasized the word "promise."

Fu Wutian looked at him. The youth before him was not as fat as the reports had described. His cheeks were somewhat babyish, and his features were not particularly striking, but his eyes were exceedingly clear. Whenever he refused to yield, the determination conveyed by his gaze was astonishing.

When she did not hear his answer, An Ziran did not panic. He had already rehearsed several plans in his mind and was merely waiting for Fu Wutian to refute him. Yet Fu Wutian's next words stunned him.

"Then we shall do as you say. I will marry your sister as my princess consort."

An Ziran stared at him without blinking.

Fu Wutian looked back at him.

Steward Su could not help coughing.

An Ziran finally came back to himself and instinctively turned his head aside. "Since Your Highness is so straightforward, let us discuss the marriage arrangements directly and set a date..."

After that, Fu Wutian did not refute a single word he said.

The two of them had a very pleasant discussion!

An hour later, An Ziran left Prince Fu's Manor with Steward Su, who was grinning from ear to ear. At the entrance, they brushed past Ge Qian'an. Ge Qian'an glanced back at them. When he climbed the steps, he happened to encounter Fu Wutian coming out. Just as he was about to speak, Fu Wutian tossed out a sentence that made his entire body stiffen before turning toward the corridor beside him.

"Do not act on your own next time."

Tomorrow was the eleventh, the day to send out olive branches. Look at my starry eyes.