Chapter 41: The Mi Family Father and Daughter

Hearing his father's reprimand, Mi Fang lowered his head and admitted his fault, saying, "Yes, Father, this son will remember it."

However, no one knows a son better than his father. How could Mi Zeng fail to see that Mi Fang's acknowledgment was merely out of respect for him as a father, rather than genuinely taking his words to heart?

Yet, he was helpless. He had lectured Mi Fang with the exact same words countless times, but the young man could never change his ways.

Mi Zeng truly worried that this flaw would one day cause Mi Fang to take a disastrous tumble.

Changing the subject, Mi Zeng asked, "Then what has happened?"

Mi Fang raised his head, his face displaying a complex expression mixed with excitement and anxiety, though his movements remained eagerly animated.

He stepped forward and placed the wooden box in his hand onto the desk before Mi Zeng, immediately drawing the gazes of both Mi Zeng and the young maiden beside him.

"Second Brother, what is inside this?"

As it turned out, this young maiden was none other than the cherished daughter born to Mi Zeng in his twilight years—the younger sister of Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, known in history as Lady Mi, Mi Yue.

Ever since her birth, Mi Yue had been showered with boundless affection and pampering by her father Mi Zeng and her elder brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang. She was truly treated like a precious treasure and sheltered from all hardships.

Because of this, even though she was already thirteen years old, Mi Yue remained unbetrothed, staying by Mi Zeng's side to keep the elderly father company.

Word had once reached them that Tao Qian, the former Inspector of Xuzhou, had sought a matrimonial alliance for his second son, wishing to take Mi Yue as a bride.

Upon hearing this, Mi Zeng flew into a towering rage. He immediately wrote a letter that gave Mi Zhu a thorough tongue-lashing, sternly rebuking him for showing no care for his own sister, daring to recommend such a worthless wretch as Tao Qian's son to their family.

He further accused Mi Zhu of trading away the bonds of father, son, siblings, and family merely for the official post of Assistant Officer (Biejia), willing to use his own sister to cement his political standing.

When Mi Zhu received the letter, he was completely dumbfounded by his old man's scathing scolding.

It was not as though he genuinely wanted to marry Mi Yue to Tao Ying.

Residing together in Tancheng County, how could Mi Zhu possibly be unaware of what kind of person Tao Ying was?

However, Mi Zhu was, after all, the Assistant Officer appointed by Tao Qian. In name and in fact, Tao Qian was his superior and the patron who had recommended him.

Such a status held profound moral weight in the Han Dynasty. Fortunately, Tao Qian also knew what kind of character his son possessed and remained wary of the Mi family's immense influence, so he had only hinted at the proposal rather than making it outright.

Had he made a direct proposal and been rejected, it would have meant an irrevocable falling out.

Tao Qian still felt he could not do without the Mi family. His purpose in dropping hints was to ally with the Mi family and enlist their support, not to force them into becoming bitter enemies.

Since Mi Zeng had stepped forward personally to voice his opposition, Tao Qian had no choice but to drop the matter.

"Father, Little Sister, please take a look."

Mi Fang paused to build suspense before opening the wooden box, revealing the refined white salt and crystal sugar inside.

"Oh?"

Mi Zeng, who had previously maintained an air of detachment, suddenly grew interested. He braced his bulky frame, wanting to inspect the contents more closely.

Mi Fang and Mi Yue hurriedly stepped forward to support him, fearing their elderly father might accidentally lose his footing and fall.

Mi Zeng observed the contents for a moment, then dipped a finger to taste a tiny bit.

"This is white salt and crystal sugar?"

Mi Fang hastily replied, "It is white salt, but this sugar seems to be called crystal sugar."

"Crystal sugar, is it?"

Mi Zeng nodded. Between frost sugar and crystal sugar, what real difference was there?

With that, Mi Zeng relaxed once more, leaning back against his armrest.

"The quality of this batch of white salt and... crystal sugar is far superior to anything we have procured in the past."

Mi Zeng sighed in appreciation, "The moment it touched my tongue, there was not the slightest trace of impurity."

"The white salt has a mellow flavor, savory with just a hint of salty bitterness, completely lacking the acidic and astringent taste of the old varieties. As for the crystal sugar, it is delightfully sweet, living up to its name with a pure sweetness."

Having finished his exclamation, Mi Zeng looked at his son and asked, "Where did you acquire this? Never mind the expense; such fine goods are rarely encountered. Acquire as much as they have, whatever the price they ask."

At this point, Mi Zeng seemed to remember something else. "Ah, that's right. Your elder brother is currently in Tancheng. Send someone to deliver a portion of this to him, and tell him to distribute it among Lord Liu, the Chancellor of the Officials (Zhizhong), the Merit Officer (Gongcao), and others. Your elder brother is not a Confucian scholar by background, and holding the post of Assistant Officer easily invites jealousy. He must make more friends; only with many friends can he suppress malicious gossip."

Mi Fang managed a bitter smile inwardly, thinking that although his old man claimed to have retired from worldly affairs, his heart was still constantly worrying over his two sons.

He felt not a shred of jealousy, and instead hurriedly recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.

"What?"

Given Mi Zeng's vast experience and advanced age, even he was shocked out of his composure at this moment.

He straightened up from his armrest once more, pulling Mi Fang close to verify the story again.

Upon receiving a definitive confirmation, Mi Zeng relaxed for a second time, slowly leaning back against his armrest.

A moment later, Mi Zeng reached out a hand toward Mi Fang. "Where is your elder brother's letter?"

Not daring to delay, Mi Fang promptly pulled the silk scroll from inside his robe and handed it to Mi Zeng.

Mi Zeng unfurled it and began to read.

By this time, Mi Zeng had completely regained his composure, and the contents of the silk scroll failed to cause any further emotional fluctuation in him.

When he finished reading, Mi Zeng narrowed his eyes and fell into deep contemplation.

Mi Fang and Mi Yue waited quietly on the side. Even as pampered as Mi Yue was, she did not dare utter a sound to disturb Mi Zeng.

After quite a while, Mi Zeng slowly placed the silk scroll back onto the table before him. Seeing this, Mi Yue extended a small hand to take the scroll and began reading it herself.

Acting as if he hadn't noticed, Mi Zeng turned his attention to Mi Fang and asked, "Have you read your elder brother's letter?"

Mi Fang replied respectfully, "I have already read it."

Mi Zeng picked up his cup to taste the fine wine again while asking casually, "Oh, then what is your view on the matter?"

Mi Fang hesitated slightly, but after a moment, he answered truthfully, "When I first saw the letter, Fang felt that perhaps Elder Brother had been coerced by Lord Liu..."

"Hmph, coerced? Ha, haha."

Mi Zeng let out a scornful laugh, raising his left hand to point at Mi Fang. "Zifang, what are you still trying to cover up in front of your father? You probably think your elder brother has lost his mind, don't you?"

"How would Fang dare to slander Elder Brother in such a manner?"

Mi Fang lowered his head awkwardly. "It's just... it's just that the amount of supplies and funds, especially grain, requested by Elder Brother is simply too astronomical. Fang is merely worried that Elder Brother has been deceived by others..."

"Humph!"

Mi Zeng let out a cold snort, causing Mi Fang's body to tremble and making him hastily shut his mouth and lower his head further.

Yet, after his cold snort, Mi Zeng did not scold him further. Instead, he let out a long sigh, "Zifang, you fall far short of your elder brother."

A burning sensation flushed across Mi Fang's face, and he stammered, "This son wouldn't dare compare himself to Elder Brother."

Mi Zeng continued in a gentle tone, "You possess a rash temperament, yet your vision lacks foresight. You have a touch of petty cleverness, but you are careless and sloppy in execution. You just said you were worried your elder brother was being deceived by others, but father is truly worried that one day you will be deceived by others and made into a scapegoat."

With a soft plop, Mi Fang dropped to his knees on the floor. "This son is incompetent and has disappointed Father."

Looking at Mi Fang kneeling on the ground, Mi Yue felt a pang of heartache. Her bright, beautiful eyes turned to look at Mi Zeng, wishing to intercede on Mi Fang's behalf.