After I got into the drama, I led the plot astray

As we were talking, we walked to Baixiang Garden. When the servants saw us, they came up to us respectfully and led us into the inner room.

There were two servants in the inner room watching over Zhao Zhenyuan, serving him tea and water, and serving him very attentively.

Zhao Zhenyuan's complexion looked much better. When he saw us come in, he quickly sat up.

Zhao Zhenyuan stared at the three of us for a long time and murmured, "It's great that the three children have grown up."

The three of us let Zhao Zhenyuan look us carefully from top to bottom and from left to right, and no one took the initiative to call him father.

The three of us didn't have a close relationship with Zhao Zhenyuan, and Zhao Zhenyuan knew it, so he didn't get angry. He smiled and asked us to sit in front of the bed.

Soon the servants brought stools for the three of us, and we sat together in front of Zhao Zhenyuan.

Zhao Zhenyuan looked at us and said comfortingly, "I have neglected you in the past few years and failed to fulfill my father's responsibilities. This is my fault. Fortunately, you all grew up safely. I am deeply relieved. Even if I go to the underworld to reunite with your mother in the future, I will not be ashamed to see her."

His words were so emotional that Jinping started to cry. He choked up and said, "Dad, we don't blame you. I've been away from you for so many years, and I've always dreamed of returning to the General's Mansion and being with you. Now that I can return to the General's Mansion, I'm so excited that I don't dare to blame you."

When Jinping was sent away, he had already grown up. His feelings for the General's Mansion were beyond ours. Seeing him crying, Yiping and I didn't dare to laugh at him. We could only lower our heads and remain silent.

Zhao Zhenyuan was also moved to tears by Jinping's words. He had fought on the battlefield for decades, had seen blood and death, and had never shed a tear no matter how hard, difficult, or painful it was. He never expected that he would be moved by the love between a young man and a woman, his heart would be sour, his eyes would be sore, and tears would well up in his eyes.

Seeing the deep affection between them, they almost burst into tears, so I had to remind them: "It's getting late, we should go to the front room to mourn."

When Zhao Zhenyuan heard me say that we were going to observe mourning, his face darkened and his anger was about to erupt again. I quickly said, "We are just going to pretend. When guests come, someone has to greet them. We will announce to the public that you fell ill due to excessive grief, so you don't have to worry about what's going on outside. Just stay here and recuperate."

Zhao Zhenyuan's expression improved after hearing this. He gritted his teeth and said, "Just do some superficial work. Our Zhao family does not have a deep foundation in the capital, so there are not so many rules to abide by. You can do whatever you want."

I smiled slightly after hearing this. What Zhao Zhenyuan meant was that the Zhao family's ancestral property was in Yecheng, and Yecheng, the capital, was so far away, so there was no need to transport Gui Lanting and Zhao Shuping back to Yecheng for burial. They could just find a random place to bury them. Anyway, they were not allowed to enter the Zhao family's ancestral hall.

I was secretly happy when I heard this. Gui Lanting, Gui Lanting, I didn't expect that not only did you die miserably, but you couldn't even be buried in the Zhao family's ancestral tomb after your death. Is this the result of doing too many bad things and dying without a burial place?

So I said, "I understand. I will do everything you say and do it properly."

Zhao Zhenyuan glared at me, as if blaming me for not understanding what he meant, and said, "Why do you want to do it in a neat and tidy way? Are you doing this on purpose to irritate your father?"

I quickly said, "I really understand. Are you still not confident in my ability to do things?"

As I was talking, there was a burst of crying and shouting outside the door. Before we could come to our senses, Zhao Fangping rushed in, shouting, "Father, father, why did mother die suddenly?"

But when Zhao Fangping rushed into the room, she saw the three of us sitting in front of my father's bed, talking and laughing. She stepped back in disbelief and murmured, "Why are you guys here?"

Zhao Fangping was indeed beautiful, and her clothes and accessories were very delicate and appropriate. Even though her hair was a little messy from running, her flushed cheeks and tears in the corners of her eyes made people feel even more pity for her.

When Zhao Zhenyuan heard this, he said unhappily, "They are your brothers and sisters, why can't they be here?"

Because Gui Lanting cheated on Yue Zhenyuan, Zhao Zhenyuan developed a dislike for Zhao Fang and always felt that the blood flowing in her bones was not his own.

In the past, Zhao Zhenyuan took good care of Zhao Fangping and never scolded her loudly, but now Zhao Zhenyuan turned his face directly to Zhao Fangping, and still looked like he wanted to strangle her to death. Zhao Fangping was so scared that she took a few steps back, covered her chest and said pitifully: "Father, father, did Fanger do something wrong? Why do you scold Fanger like this?"

Zhao Zhenyuan was even more annoyed after hearing this, and shouted, "Yes, you did it wrong. You are disrespectful to your elder brothers and sisters. Not only do you not show respect, but you also speak rudely. It seems that I usually indulge you too much. I get annoyed when I see you. If you have nothing to do, just go back to the palace and don't hang around in front of me."

Zhao Zhenyuan even omitted the word "father", and it was obvious that he really hated Zhao Fangping.

When Zhao Fangping heard this, he burst into tears again, threw himself on Zhao Zhenyuan's bed, and shouted, "Father, please don't chase me away. My mother just passed away, and my father hates me. What should I do in the future?"

Zhao Fangping was really panicked this time.

In the past, Gui Lanting was her greatest support, and he spent all his money and effort to make her a first-class socialite and lady in the Beijing circle. Now that her support is gone and Zhao Zhenyuan doesn't want her, her future life will be difficult.

Zhao Zhenyuan looked at his daughter who looked a bit like him, but he couldn't bear it. He sighed and said, "Forget it, you should go and keep vigil for your mother. My father will go to the frontier after the new year, and Jinping will have to take care of the affairs of the mansion. You should discuss things with your brother. The eldest brother is the father and the eldest sister is the mother. Do you understand this principle?"

Zhao Fangping didn't want to understand at all. She used to be the only daughter of the general's mansion, and everyone had to pamper her, flatter her, and do things according to her mood. When she thought that she would no longer have the final say in the mansion, her heart felt as painful as being stabbed by a needle.

Zhao Fangping looked at Zhao Zhenyuan with tears in his eyes, and choked up and said, "Father, don't leave Fanger alone. Fanger is scared."

Hearing this, the corners of my mouth couldn't help but slightly rise. This beautiful girl who is so vicious at such a young age, now she finally knows how to be afraid? Why didn't you feel afraid when you were always harming Zhao Shengping in the past? The good days are still to come, just bear with it slowly.

Thinking of this, I stood up suddenly and said to Zhao Fangping expressionlessly, "The guests will be here soon, you should change into mourning clothes and go out to keep vigil. You know your mother is dead, but you still dress so gorgeously with pearls and jade on your head. If someone doesn't know, they would think your family is having a wedding."