Severing Ties

Ever since An Ziran said those words and scared Steward Su half to death,

every time Steward Su saw him, he wore a worried expression, thinking that the eldest young master had been driven mad by the young miss and had actually said something like that.

An Ziran knew that was surely what he was thinking, but he said nothing.

He had been in this era for nearly four months. He knew that aside from its lack of respect for merchants, Da Ya was also quite open-minded. Men who loved men were a common sight in Da Ya. Gentlemen City alone had several famous male brothels, and many men seeking something new would go there, some even openly.

But open-mindedness was one thing; men marrying men was still rare.

After all, men could not bear children to carry on their husband's family line like women could. So even if one married a man, he could only be a male concubine.

An Ziran had merely entertained the thought. Even if Fu Wutian were willing to marry a man, he could not find someone to marry off. The little bun was only four months old—he could not possibly make Fu Wutian wait, could he? The very thought of that scene made him want to laugh.

There had originally been another option, but he did not want to use it.

That was An Changde's daughter.

An Changde and Wu Zhi had a daughter named An Xueyan. She was seventeen this year and, according to Steward Su, fairly good-looking. However, she had a poor temperament, inheriting her mother's sharp tongue, meanness, and snobbery. She was extremely picky about her future husband's family and had been spoiled into becoming willful and unruly by An Changde and Wu Zhi. As a result, she was still unmarried at seventeen.

That was why An Ziran had refused without hesitation when Steward Su brought it up. The purpose of an alliance by marriage between the two families was for the An Family, and An Xueyan would only bring trouble to the An Family.

Steward Su knocked and entered, placing a steaming cup in front of him. "Eldest Young Master, you have been running around these past few days over the young miss's marriage. You must be exhausted. I brewed you a cup of ginseng tea. Drink it while it is hot."

An Ziran rubbed his temples. He truly was exhausted.

If not for the An Family, he would not have dragged his whole household all the way to Gentlemen City. Every time he dealt with Fu Wutian, countless brain cells died. Compared to that, he would rather stay in the study every day and read account books.

Seeing him begin to sip the ginseng tea, Steward Su hesitated several times, as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself.

Noticing his gaze, An Ziran sighed. "Steward, if you have something to say, just say it."

"Since Eldest Young Master has told me to speak, then I will." Steward Su seemed to seize the chance eagerly. Looking at him carefully, he asked, "You are not truly planning to marry Prince Fu in the young miss's place, are you?"

An Ziran choked on the ginseng tea.

Steward Su hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.

It took An Ziran several coughs before he recovered. Looking up at Steward Su's worried face, he finally understood why Steward Su had kept looking at him that way. They had not been thinking about the same thing. Even if he liked men, he had never considered marrying another man. Burying himself for the An Family was not his style.

"Steward, rest assured. I will not do that." An Ziran looked at him resolutely.

Seeing that his expression did not seem false, Steward Su finally felt somewhat relieved. But when he thought of the problem ahead, his heart rose again. "Eldest Young Master, what do you plan to do about the young miss?"

A trace of coldness flashed imperceptibly through An Ziran's eyes. "Since she can care only about her own happiness and not care in the slightest whether her elder brother and younger brother will be implicated and lose their lives, then there is no need to acknowledge such a sister. I will pretend I never had this sister. From now on, the An Family will no longer have a Third Young Miss."

Hearing such decisive words, Steward Su could only sigh. Before coming here, he had never imagined things would turn out like this. Though the eldest young master's words sounded heartless, the young miss's actions truly chilled one's heart. He had nothing to say.

"Come with me to Prince Fu's Manor tomorrow."

After a moment of silence, An Ziran suddenly spoke.

Steward Su froze. "Eldest Young Master, you mean..."

After thinking it over, An Ziran still felt that laying everything out plainly might leave room to turn things around. An Yuzhi's elopement could be concealed for a while, but not forever. He had dealt with Fu Wutian several times and understood very well how unfathomable the man was. Perhaps he already knew. Rather than remain passive, it was better to take the initiative.

An Ziran did as he said, and the next day, he acted on it.

Steward Su had wanted to persuade him to wait a little longer. Perhaps they would think of a solution by tomorrow. But for the first time, he discovered that the eldest young master could be this stubborn. It really did not show usually.

By the time they stood outside the gates of Prince Fu's Manor, he knew the eldest young master had made up his mind.