"Are you saying I'm wrong? Did your elder brother not fabricate an absurd dream out of thin air, nor did he push the Duke of Dingguo's mansion to the brink? Did your elder brother not relentlessly pursue Miss Song, nor did he bring ruin upon the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?" Xie Jiang asked casually.
Xu Hengyi immediately retorted, "My elder brother didn't fabricate a dream; he truly dreamt it. These are things that will happen in the future."
The Duke of Dingguo's mansion had indeed suffered a tragic fate, but if his elder brother had remained silent, the world would have been plunged into further suffering.
It was all because Miss Song was born with a destiny that brought disaster upon the nation.
As for what happened later, it was beyond his elder brother's control.
Ultimately, it was because the Duke of Dingguo's mansion stood too high, and many people wished to bring it down. His elder brother's dream was merely a catalyst.
Therefore, now that their Duke of Wei's mansion was flourishing, they aimed to be as low-key as possible. Wasn't his second brother already serving as a county official, cultivating sweet potatoes?
Xie Jiang scoffed, "Did you crawl into your elder brother's dream and see it with your own eyes?"
"How could I have such ability? I didn't see it myself, but my elder brother wouldn't lie. My elder brother is no ordinary person; he can foresee the future." Xu Hengyi said in a low voice, as this kind of matter was not to be discussed too openly.
Xie Jiang looked at him with undisguised disdain, "It's the first time I've seen someone describe such wicked deeds so elegantly."
Xu Hengyi's face was etched with displeasure, "Xie Jiang, do you have a problem with my elder brother?"
Xie Jiang pushed his face away, "What do you expect me to say to a charlatan?"
Xu Hengyi's heart sank as he rushed to explain, "My elder brother is not a骗子 (piànzi - swindler); how could my elder brother be a swindler? My elder brother is a Celestial Master!"
Xie Jiang said, "Look at anyone on the street who counts on their fingers to tell fortunes; aren't they all swindlers?"
Xu Hengyi's eyes bulged. How could his elder brother be compared to those street fortune-tellers? "My elder brother is the Celestial Master revered by Daoists across the land!"
Xie Jiang scoffed, "Having a gang makes you special, does it?"
Xu Hengyi couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! You'll know when you meet my elder brother!"
As they spoke, the two arrived at the private room of the Song siblings.
Li Chi saw Xie Jiang approaching and bowed, "Young Master Xie."
He did not look at Xu Hengyi or utter a word.
Xu Hengyi did not mind. The fact that Li Chi did not attack him or glare at him was a testament to his good upbringing.
If he hadn't been afraid that Xie Jiang would be too much of a scoundrel, he wouldn't have approached the Song family.
Moreover, every time he encountered the Song family, they were always polite to him.
Xie Jiang said, "Would it be convenient for me to have tea with your young master?"
"The young master said that if Young Master Xie were to come, you should enter directly," Li Chi said, making a gesture of invitation.
Xie Jiang nodded and entered the private room.
Xu Hengyi hesitated for a moment before shamelessly following him in.
Xie Jiang walked towards the Song siblings with a smile, "Young Master Song, when did you arrive in Ninghe?"
"We arrived yesterday afternoon," Song Ze said with a smile to Xie Jiang, looking towards the person beside him. "Is that Young Master Xu, the third young master, accompanying Young Master Xie?"
Anyone facing Song Ze would instinctively lower their voice, as if afraid of disturbing an immortal who had just descended to the mortal realm. Xu Hengyi was no exception. "Yes, I came with Young Master Xie to have some tea."
Song Ze nodded with a smile and invited them to sit at the tea table.
"This is my third sister," Song Ze introduced to Xie Jiang, then said to Song Xun, "This is Young Master Xie."
"Greetings, Young Master Xie."
Song Xun did not hide her delight at seeing Xie Jiang. Her plump little face was flushed, and a faint pink hue spread around her eyes.
Xu Hengyi was waiting for the little girl to greet him, but she seemed glued to Xie Jiang, not even sparing him a glance.
His third and fourth sisters were the same when they saw Xie Jiang. These young girls only cared about appearances and had no idea about the wickedness of human hearts!
Xu Hengyi thought that Song Ze should at least discipline the little girl. It was fine to be friends with Xie Jiang; he was loyal and dependable, but he would never make a good brother-in-law. Then he immediately realized that Song Ze was blind.
So, Song Ze truly had no idea how fanatically the little girl was looking at Xie Jiang.
Xu Hengyi cleared his throat lightly, trying to bring Song Xun back to reality. "Young Master Song and Miss Song, why have you also come to Ninghe?"
"Little Xun missed the last auction. Later, she heard that there were many beautiful glass ornaments at the auction, and she wanted them but couldn't find a place to buy them. Knowing that Young Master Xie had opened a glass factory in Ninghe, she asked me to bring her here to try her luck."
Although Song Ze's eyes could not see, his movements in brewing tea were extremely elegant and smooth. He poured tea for Xu Hengyi and Xie Jiang, with a gentle smile on his lips, speaking unhurriedly.
"I didn't expect to meet Young Master Xie here."
Song Xun nodded at her brother's words, and the tassels hanging by her face swayed by her plump cheeks as she nodded.
"We can also come out to travel. I haven't been out for a long time."
She openly revealed her little thoughts. Although the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was in an awkward position, the young girl clearly grew up pampered.
Xie Jiang wanted to pat the little darling's head.
"So, Third Sister likes glass ornaments? My glass factory has recently released a new batch of goods, none of which were available at the previous auction. Since Young Master Song and Third Sister have come to Ninghe, you can visit the glass factory when you have time."
Xie Jiang smiled enthusiastically at Song Xun.
In Xu Hengyi's eyes, this smile was like a big bad wolf luring a little white rabbit, taking advantage of the fact that the little white rabbit's brother couldn't see to be so brazen!
"Why are you calling her Third Sister? You should call her Miss Song. Who do you think you are, being so familiar?"
This was the first time he had met them, and Xie Jiang was already calling her "sister." He had met her many times, but he had never called her sister!
Xu Hengyi secretly nudged Xie Jiang with his elbow, whispering a reminder not to be too obvious. Song Ze might not be able to see, but he could hear.
He didn't know how excited Song Xun was to hear the address "Third Sister."
She had tried her best to control herself, but this was her second sister.
This was the second sister that their elder brother had secretly searched for for so many years!
Countless little stars seemed to have landed in Song Xun's eyes.
Although Song Xun was young, she was very quick-witted. She instantly found a reasonable explanation for her excitement.
"Really? Can I visit the glass factory? And if I see something I like, can I buy it?"
Xie Jiang smiled and said, "Whatever you like, I'll give it to you."
Xu Hengyi looked at Song Xun, who was so young yet already infatuated, and then at Xie Jiang, who wouldn't let even such a young girl go. He then wanted to shout at the oblivious Song Ze, "Your sister is determined to jump into the fire pit; why aren't you stopping her!"
"I appreciate Young Master Xie's kindness, but I can buy it myself. I brought money," Song Xun said, patting her bulging little purse.
Then she added with some uncertainty, "Is it expensive? I should be able to afford something, right?"
Xie Jiang smiled and said, "It was originally quite expensive, but I can earn a little less. Let's be friends."
Doesn't this line sound familiar! Doesn't it!
But no one was looking at Xu Hengyi, and his anxiety was useless.