"A member of the family. Ha!" Fan Zhu Xia mockingly thought to herself. She knew that it was too good to be true. Even if she was adopted and was treated well, having the same blood running through veins is still something that matters in a family like this.
After all, the Fan family is apparently not a simple just as simple as she originally thought.
For then to have a title of Wangye and to have their residence be recognized as a palace only proves that their level of power and influence is only slightly lower to that of the imperial family.
Dejected, Fan Zhu Xia ignored the curious looks of some of the servants she passed and wandered around the gardens towards the path that they had taken earlier.
Lost in her thoughts, she took a cursory glance around and noticed that just behind the fake mountains that they passed earlier was an intricately built pergola that had no walls and instead had several wooden pillars that had flowering vines with trumpet shaped blooms in varying shades of reds, yellows and oranges wrapped around them as it climbed up and lightly covered some parts of the awning making it look all the more enchanting.
As Fan Zhu Xia drew closer, she noticed that although one side of the pergola was limited to the fake mountains that hid it from the view of people traversing the path from the entrance, it's other side completely compensated from the lack of scenery by overlooking a beautiful view of a huge lotus pond that had an abundance of koi fishes swimming around.
The sight of it made Fan Zhu Xia feel less troubled and seeing that there were a couple of couches and several chairs in the pergola with a few tables here and there, she decided to stay there for a while to wait for Fan Hui Zhong to finish his talk with his brother, Fan Hui Liang.
Organizing her thoughts, Fan Zhu Xua couldn't help but close her eyes and inhale the scent of the flowers while a small wistful smile graced her lips as she listened to the sound of the few hummingbirds flitting about mix in with the peaceful chirping of a couple of birds who decided to nest in the thick, flowery vines.
Relaxing on one of the couches, Zhu Xia disregarded any sense of propriety and reclined on the couch while lifting her legs to stretch across it.
With a flick of her hand, a wine jug appeared in her grasp which she promptly unsealed and took a deep, long gulp before sighing contentedly.
Seeing her, a couple of servants brought her snacks and askes her if there was anything that she needed but she just thanked them then waved them away despite their objections.
The servants could do nothing but observe from behind the fake mountains as they gossiped and whispered to each other animatedly.
One of the maids who served the snacks whispered, "The young miss sure is pretty!"
"That's right! She even looks just like a fairy from a painting..." another one added as he stared at her in wonder.
Still watching her, another maid whispered, "And she seems nice unlike most young misses from other families..."
"Yeah! She even said thanked us when we served her earlier..."
"I hope the young miss stays!"
"That still depends on Lei Wangye you know!"
"Yeah yeah, I know. Still, I hope young miss ends up staying, I wouldn't mind serving another female master!"
"Ahhh, you know it would still be up to Lei Wangye to assign her servants! There's no guarantee we'll even be able to serve her..."
"We all know that! After all she is Master Zhong's daughter!"
Unknown to them, while they were whispering back and forth to each other, Fan Hui Liang's eldest son, Fan Li Jie has already arrived and was actually listening to their gossiping when his eyes widened and surprise flashed when he heard that last remark that he couldn't help but speak up.
"Excuse me, but can you repeat what you just said?" Fan Li Jie asked from behind them, that the servants all jumped and simultaneously turned around before bowing down hurriedly and greeting him.
"Eldest Young Master!"
"Eldest Young Master!"
"Eldest Young Master!"
Surprised, every single servant bowed and greeted him respectfully, their hearts thumping erratically while they cursed in their minds on how stupid they were not to realize that the eldest young master, Fan Li Jie was already listening to them.
"No need for that, just answer the question. Did you just say that my master, Uncle Zhong is back?" Fan Li Jie questioned impatiently.
"Replying to Eldest Young Master,
Master Zhong is indeed back and is even at Na Huan Pavillion discussing a few things with Master Liang."
Hearing the servant's reply, Li Jie's heart sped up in anticipation of seeing his uncle once more. After all, Fan Hui Zhong wasn't just his uncle but also his master that had taught him so much and was someone he had deep respect for.
Their uncle-nephew relationship was further strengthened by the bond that they have as a master and disciple!
When Fan Hui Zhong left all those years ago, Fan Li Jie wanted to go with him but when he asked for permission, he was told not to come and just stay not by his father but by his uncle and master, Hui Zhong!
As much as he disagreed with Fan Hui Zhong's decision, Fan Li Jie still obediently followed his orders like a good disciple.
He understood why he was told to stay.
It wasn't because he was unwanted but it was because he had a duty a the future heir to the Fan as well as Fan Hui Zhong's disciple.
Fan Li Jie was just about to go and make his way to Na Huan Pavillion when he remembered what the servants were talking about in the first place making him stop in his tracks.
"They said that there was another female a master and they were talking about a young miss... Who under heaven's name were they talking about?" Fan Li Jie thought with an almost imperceptible frown as he turned back and looked at the small cluster of servants who immediately straightened their bodies and kept their eyes lowered respectfully.
With a cold and aloof voice, Fan Li Jie asked, "Who is this young miss you guys kept referring to earlier?"
Glancing uncomfortably at each other they remained silent and looked conflicted as if they didn't know how to answer.
Finally, one of them gathered enough courage and stepped forward before respectfully answering, "The young miss we were discussing was the young lady that came with Master Zhong."
Unsatisfied with the answer he got, Fan Li Jie indicated for the servant to continue with a sharp piercing look making the servant gulp uneasily while the others stared at him with eyes filled with pity.
"She was... is your cousin..."
Trailing off, the servant's voice got fainter and fainter until he just bit his lip and bowed his head in fear.
Everyone knew that the Eldest Young Master, Fan Li Jie was extremely temperamental and was usually cold and indifferent which made him a very unpredictable individual.
This knowledge made the servant burst out into cold sweat as he felt his heartbeat speed up uncontrollably.
A long silence descended upon them and the servants could do nothing but stay quiet and wait for Fan Li Jie's command.
After a few tense moments, Fan Li Jie finally spoke just one word that made them all sigh internally with relief, "Leave."
Without further urging, the servants hurriedly bowed and expressed their gratitude before they scrambled away, making Li Jie shake his head slightly.
"Cousin hmm..."
Silently walking around the fake mountains, Fan Li Jie decided to go ahead and see the reason why the servants were all whispering to each other earlier.
Lifting his eyes to look at the pergola, Fan Li Jie's usually stoic expression morphed into one of utmost surprise when he saw the scene in front of him.